Why Using “Landmark Status” to Block the NY Mosque is a Threat to Religious Land Use Rights

Last week I received a message from Jay Sekulow of the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) calling on Christians to protest plans to build a mosque in Manhattan near Ground Zero. (http://www.aclj.org/TrialNotebook/Read.aspx?ID=973 )

Although the ACLJ, not to be confused with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), does not try to hide the fact that anti-Muslim sentiment is a predominant reason behind their opposition to the mosque, the ACLJ is instead trying to use a calling on the city to declare the proposed site a “historic landmark” because the landing gear from one of the jets that crashed into the World Trade Center landed on the site.

The ACLJ knows that there is nothing better than rallying around an “enemy” to bring out advocates and wallets, and is raising allegations that the mosque would be offensive and is telling supporters that the builder has unspecified terrorist ties. Setting aside, for the moment, the tinge of religious discrimination and Establishment Clause violation, let’s focus on the legal issues raised by the ACLJ’s tactic of declaring the site a “landmark” and how this could adversely affect church building projects across America.

Promoters of a mosque at Ground Zero, if blocked, could assert their rights under the “Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act” (RLUIPA) that religious organizations in America who wanted to build and maintain their property without undue burden, such as unreasonable zoning laws, have fought for over the last twenty years.

The legal history of RLUIPA overshadows most of what happens in the courts and although many of you are familiar with it, I’m going to give it again for the benefit of those just joining us. In 1990, the Supreme Court ruled in Employment Division v. Smith (the infamous peyote case) that if a governmental rule applies the same to everybody then it’s okay even if it puts a “substantial burden” on the free exercise of religion. Thus, Mr. Smith, an Oregonian, who had smoked peyote during a religious ceremony and got fired as a result was denied state unemployment benefits. Oregon could have made an exception for religious exercises but decided not to and so the court said that Mr. Smith was surely out of luck.

Many people said that Mr. Smith should never have smoked peyote even if it was part of his religion because it messed with his health and safety and that he deserved to be fired and denied unemployment benefits. But court watchers were alarmed when they realized how big a hole the Supreme Court had blown in the Free Exercise Clause. This provided states with the mechanism for getting rid of religious accommodation for religious minorities. State employees aren’t likely to go out of their way to accommodate your religious minority practices if they come into conflict with generally applicable state law.  If everybody has to wear blue hats, then you do too. If everybody has to take a test on Saturday, then you do too.  They’d say, “This is the state and we don’t have the resources or ability to accommodate every request. What makes you so special?”

Anyway, Congress, not open advocates of peyote and in a rare show of clarity, decided that this wasn’t good and they passed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) in 1993 which required religious accommodation in almost every area of life.

The Supreme Court fired back in 1997 in Boerne v. Flores and struck down RFRA.  In Boerne, the Catholic Archbishop of San Antonio, Patrick Flores, wanted to enlarge the church in Boerne, Texas. The city objected saying that the 1923 structure was a “historic landmark.” The case was litigated and the Supreme Court said that the city was right and that RFRA, which was the brand-spanking new law signed by President Clinton that the church relied on to win its case, only applied to Federal Government actions, not state actions.

Members of Congress scratched their heads and tried to figure out a way to get a law passed that would help churches like the one in Boerne and still pass so they came up with the oddly configured, but workable, Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA). They figured that the new law could also apply to prisoners since they were stuck in prison and needed to have a way to have their religious practices accommodated.   Congress was so jazzed about RLUIPA that it was passed in 2000 by “unanimous consent” by both the House and Senate and no vote was even taken. RLUIPA prohibits the imposition of burdens on the ability of prisoners to worship and gives churches and other religious institutions a way to avoid burdensome zoning law restrictions on their property use.

So coming back to the mosque, if RLUIPA were applied, the city would have to have a really good reason to deny a building permit. But now the religious right in America is up in arms, not about the neutral building of a house of worship, but because it is a place where Muslims would worship.

But what does the ACLJ think about Christian churches that admittedly want to house actual convicted criminals?

In Barr v. City of Sinton, the ACLJ makes an argument that under RLUIPA and the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act (Sinton is in Texas), a pastor was wrongly prohibited from building a halfway house for low-level criminals within 1,000 feet of his church.

In an ACLU press release, ( http://www.aclu.org/religion-belief/aclu-texas-and-aclj-urge-state-supreme-court-enforce-religious-freedom-act ) Jay Sekulow is quoted as saying, “The city’s ordinance puts an unfair burden on Pastor Barr’s free exercise of religion by forcing him to either permanently shut down Philemon Homes or relocate beyond city limits. The city’s ordinance also turns the Texas RFRA on its head – a statute that the Texas legislature intended to provide broad protection for the free exercise of religion by limiting the authority of state and local government officials to apply laws and ordinances in a way that substantially burdens religiously motivated conduct. We’re hopeful the Supreme Court of Texas will correct this injustice.”

Now I’m sure that the ACLJ would not want to see New York “apply laws and ordinances in a way that substantially burdens religiously motivated conduct” if the group was Christian, but since it’s Muslim, it’s a whole different story.

If Sekulow, et al, are able to convince the city to prohibit the building of the mosque, the ACLJ has already written a brief (that the ACLU also joined) that the mosque could adopt and modify for their
argument.   http://www.aclj.org/media/pdf/AmicusBrief_Barr_v._CityofSinton.pdf

If the ACLJ were able to have the mosque site declared a historic landmark, but the underlying reason is religious discrimination, they could be surrendering the hard-fought rights gained under RLUIPA.  Soon churches across America would find it harder to expand their buildings or seek out new sites. Even today, it is difficult for houses of worship churches, synagogues, or mosques to be built in many communities- they do not provide tax revenue, they bring in traffic, and the neighbors simply say “Not In My Back Yard.”

The ACLJ is now making the opposite argument with regard to the Ground Zero Mosque, and is emblematic of an emerging trend in American religion and politics. Groups are willing to openly assert rights when it is in their own best interest to do so, but block identical rights when they disagree with whoever is asserting the right.

Many religious organizations have benefited enormously from the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLIUPA). Using cover of faith to block its application to unpopular religious groups is the quickest path to its demise.

Analysis – Christian Legal Society v. Hastings – The Lesson: Stipulations Matter

Earlier this month, the United States Supreme Court issued a 5-4 ruling holding that it was not unconstitutional for a public institution (Hastings University Law School) to require a institution-recognized student group (Christian Legal Society (CLS)) to allow any student to participate in the group regardless of their status or beliefs. You can read the Supreme Court’s holding in Christian Legal Society v. Martinez here: http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/09pdf/08-1371.pdf .

In our June 1, 2010 newsletter, I predicted that the Court in a narrow-crafted decision would ultimately uphold the right of CLS to discriminate against those who did not hold its religious beliefs or ascribe to its sexual behavior restrictions. I thought that the court would recognize that freedom to associate includes the right to exclude. I used the examples that an atheist club would not be required to allow Christian “atheist club” members to redirect the focus of a group, and that a Muslim group would not need to allow Hindu leadership.

I thought that it was clear that there was viewpoint discrimination against the conservative Christian club, after all, of all of the various student groups, it had been the only group that was denied registration. I did not think that Court, or the dozens of other student groups regardless of their place on the liberal-conservative continuum, would want to see the focus of their groups diluted by disruptive, non-supportive students who could forcibly assume leadership roles.

Further, I thought that the Court would find that the University’s written “non-discrimination policy” reasoning was the operative policy in effect at the time it denied CLS’s registration, and therefore that the Court would  rule in line with its precedent upholding college student freedom of association and freedom of speech in similar cases.  It was only in the thick of litigation that Hastings had changed its argument to claim that instead of basing its decision on the non-discrimination policy, it had based the non-registration of CLS on an “all-comers” policy. Hasting had claimed, after the fact in the litigation process, that it’s “all-comers policy” that required every student group to accept any student was non-discriminatory and neutrally applied.

I thought that the Court would recognize that this had not been the original policy in place, and that Hastings was conveniently trying to avoid making what would be a losing “non-discrimination” policy argument. I anticipated a ruling that would foster a “free marketplace of ideas” ethos on public campuses.

But I was wrong. Over some strong dissent within its ranks, the Court surprisingly ruled against the Christian Club. In an effort to figure out why this happened, I asked “What would Ross Perot do?” and decided to “open the hood” and take a look inside.

THE STIPULATION

This is kind of technical, so please bear with me. If a party to litigation believes that, even assuming all the facts alleged are true, there is no legal basis for the other side to prevail, they can file for “summary judgment.” Part of this involves the parties reviewing a long series of facts and deciding which ones they can both stipulate, or agree, to.

In this case, it turns out that CLS had stipulated to the ‘fact’ that “”Hastings requires that registered student organizations allow any student to participate, become a member, or seek leadership positions in the organizations, regardless of [her] status or beliefs. Thus, for example, the Hastings Democratic Caucus cannot bar students holding Republican political beliefs from becoming members or seeking leadership positions in the organization.”

In other words, CLS had stipulated, or “agreed” in the litigation process that the “all-comers” policy was the operative policy in effect when CLS was denied registration.

The majority opinion makes a big deal out of the precedent that “parties are bound by, and cannot contradict, their stipulations.”
The Court said that an “all-comers” policy was different from a discriminatory policy and was permissible.

In short, early on in the case, CLS had agreed with the other sides’ definition of the policy and the Court had no obligation to try to fix the mess CLS ended up in as a result.  If the Court had decided to replace CLS’ stipulation with what CLS had actually meant, that would truly be seen as “judicial activism.”

What this means is that the court ruling is very narrow and can be challenged again should future plaintiffs play their cards right. They just have to find an example of discriminatory policy and label it as such.

A Short History Of The Conscientious Objector (Liberty Magazine)

Liberty MagazineMichael Peabody, editor of ReligiousLiberty.TV, writes for the July / August 2010 issue of Liberty Magazine.  The full article is available in print and online at http://www.libertymagazine.org/index.php?id=1636

EXCERPT:

The date was June 5, 1917, the first day of the draft. Sousa’s Band struck up “Stars and Stripes Forever” and the 6,000 in attendance at the American Medical Association Convention in New York City rose to their feet as former president Theodore Roosevelt walked across the stage.

The United States had tried to avoid war, but the German U-boats kept a relentless attack on American interests at sea. In a complicated scenario the British were fearful that the anticolonialist Americans would enter on the side of the Central Powers, and there were rumors that Germany would enlist Mexico to join Japan in fighting the United States in return for Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.

President Wilson, who won the presidency on the promise of keeping America out of the war, quietly began arming some American merchant ships, and Germany sunk several, an act that former president Roosevelt denounced as piracy. Roosevelt insisted on war, and on April 6, 1917, Congress declared war.

Once at the podium, Roosevelt ripped into those who did not support the draft for moral reasons. “The conscientious objector,” he said, “curtains his cowardice behind the statement that he objects to placing himself in a position where he might take part in killing someone. I’d guard his conscience. I’d send him to the front, but I wouldn’t give him a gun. I’d put him to digging kitchen sinks and trenches so that good men could rest until the time came for them to kill someone. Then I’d watch his conscience to see what it would do.”

Read the Full Article at http://www.libertymagazine.org/index.php?id=1636

High School Sophomores Answer Question “How Would You Feel If Your Religious Freedom Was Taken Away?”


Since March, I have been working with a group of high school sophomores in a Shakespeare class, as part of my student teaching experience at a Christian school in Washington State. In addition to studying Shakespeare’s life and the many sonnets he wrote, we have of course been reading several of his plays, including The Merchant of Venice. One of the more fascinating parts of this particular play is in one of the final scenes, where Shylock, the Jewish money-lender and villain of the play, is forced to convert to Christianity after his murderous intentions are foiled in a Venetian court of law. Shylock must also surrender the majority of his estate, forfeit his claim to the debt he is owed, and watch his daughter leave the Jewish faith and marry a Christian man whom he despises. Considering that The Merchant of Venice is usually categorized as a comedy, it is one of the most tragic ends for a character in any of Shakespeare’s plays, and the treatment of Shylock in the play has led to a great literary debate over the years regarding anti-Semitism in Shakespearean literature.

As their final assignment for the play, I had students respond to the question, “How would you feel if your religious freedom was taken away?” The responses varied, in both length and reaction. Nearly all of the teenagers in the class are self-described Christians, but their approach toward religion varies from conservative evangelical to tolerant progressives to near-agnostic. Their reactions to a potential scenario in which they were not allowed to practice religion freely ranged from the pragmatic to conformist to vigilant resistance.

– Martin Surridge,  Associate Editor – ReligiousLiberty.TV
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“I can’t even imagine what it would be like to lose my freedom of religion, because I rely on it so much. Since God gave me life and everything, if I couldn’t worship him and thank him for what he has done then I don’t know what I would do.” – Jake

“I would be very mad. Everyone has a right to religion. You can’t take it away from them –that would be messed up. It would be like someone coming up to me and saying, “Hey, there is no God, so don’t believe that there is.” I would tell them that I will believe in God, even if there isn’t one. It’s kind of like that, its just wrong to say to someone. If I was having my religion taken away I would have a back up plan, and maybe study my religion [in secret].” – Nat

“If my freedom of religion was to be taken away I would be sad and scared. I don’t know if I would be strong enough to stick up for my beliefs if they were to be taken away. I would like to think that I would be able to stick up for them, but I don’t know if I could.” – Kristi

“I would feel really bad because I would feel like I couldn’t worship God the way I thought was best or even at all. I don’t think even if you force people to convert that they truly would in there heart. But If I was forced to I wouldn’t. I would take what ever punishment even death for my faith. Jesus gave up his life for me and it would be the least I could do in repayment. I would stand up for God and I know I would be rewarded in heaven.” – Jamie

“I think that if I was not allowed to choose my religion I would be scared, because if I got caught then there might be severe consequences. There would be no hope or reason to even have religion.” – Dustin

“I think that if I was not allowed to choose my religion that there would be no hope or reason to even have religion. There would be three possible things that I might do. The first thing I might do is practice my religion in hiding. The second is to fight it but that might be dangerous. The third thing might be to conform.” – Daniel

“If my right to religion was taken away I wouldn’t feel a purpose anymore. Without my religion I would feel undefined, like a part of me was missing. I would feel like there was no point to life; because if I don’t have a Savior I have nothing to look forward to. Basically without my religion I wouldn’t have a sense of right and wrong. My religion is what holds my life together.” – Amber

“I would feel ripped of my life line. If it became illegal for me to worship God then I would have a hard time worshipping Him without telling people I do. I want to be able to be joyful in what God gives me. I would feel sad that I would have to hide my worship to even worship him a little. I feel like I have been forced to do something I don’t want to do. I would feel like I would have to get away from every one in order to worship.” – Caleb

“If my rights to freedom of religion were taken away I wouldn’t have any hope or reason for living. What I believe is what gives me courage to face each day and keep going. If that was taken away I would have nothing and no one to rely on, no support, I would have no purpose. I would be constantly angry and have no reason to serve and worship God if how I chose to do it wasn’t allowed.” – Lindy

“I think that if my right to freedom of religion was taken away, it would be like cutting off my air supply. I’d feel a mix of emotions, everything from hopelessness to despair. But, even with my religion gone, I still have God by my side. I know that that will never change. So, even though I’d feel cheated, hurt, upset, and despondent, I think that I’d end up being okay because no matter what happens, I can still have a relationship with the one person that will never leave my side.” – Danae

“If my freedom was taken away I would definitely have to look at what they mean by it being taken away.  But I think that if my freedom to choose what I believe, what church to be and what church to attend [was prohibited] I would be very offended and mad that my freedom was taken away. I feel very strongly about my religion because it is a part of me, a part of my family, and a part of my heritage. I was born into the church, raised in the church and have grown to be a part of the church.  If it ever was taken away, I think I would still practice my beliefs though people would try and stop me.” – Greg

“If my religious freedom were taken away, I would feel as if someone had taken part of my identity away. I have been a Christian all of my life, and so has my family. I would be very sad and depressed, and I would probably covertly still worship God. If someone forced me to give it up, it would be like forcing me to give up a part of myself. I can’t very easily change who I am.” – Alicia

“If my right to freedom of religion was taken away I would feel awful! I would feel like I’d been stripped of my very core. A person’s religion pretty much makes up who they are. So if the right to choose what you believe was taken away, you’d have to change the way you acted. That would be tremendously hard to deal with. I would feel like there was no point in going on if I couldn’t choose to practice what I believed. It seems unfair that Shylock would have to change what he believed simply because he made a mistake. It’s bad enough to have your possessions taken away, but religion too? That’s a really hard blow.” – McKenzie

If someone made me change my religion I would be really confused about why they would. I think it would be weird. I probably would not agree, but act just as the other people in the situation and make excuses. That would make it look just what they want to see. People can’t change your mind. I would be really ticked. I wouldn’t find it to be pleasant to do the same things that the other religion would do.” – Lex

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Oregon Governor Signs Bill Repealing Ban on Teachers’ Religious Dress

SALEM, OREGON – On April 1, 2010, Governor Ted Kulongoski signed a bill (HB 3686) that will repeal Oregon’s 87-year-old ban on teachers wearing religious dress.

Governor Kulongoski signs bill

Photo Credit: Ravitej Khalsa

SALEM, OREGON – On April 1, 2010, Governor Ted Kulongoski signed a bill (HB 3686) that will repeal Oregon’s 87-year-old ban on teachers wearing religious dress. Although the Governor did express some concern about how it will be interpreted and implemented in a signing statement, the Kulongoski wrote that  ”Repealing ORS 342.650 and 342.655, which prohibited public school teachers in Oregon from wearing “religious dress” in the class room, is the right thing to do.”

In his letter, Governor Kulongoski wrote that in order to address the issues that arise “at the intersection of the teacher’s right to practice his or her religion and the students’ right to be taught in a religiously neutral environment,” the bill will not be implemented until after the 2010-2011 school year.  This will give the Bureau of Labor and Industries the opportunity to create guidelines so that there will be “clarity and predictability” in how the law will be implemented.

The bill overturns bans on teachers wearing religious dress such as headscarves, turbans, and yarmulkes.  Some groups, such as the ACLU, had supported the ban, claiming that it provided students with a religiously neutral environment while other groups, including Sikh groups, were concerned that they could not become teachers if they had to choose between the education profession and their faith.

The passage of HB 3686 provided a clean-up to last year’s Oregon Workplace Religious Freedom Act, and passed with broad bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate.  It struck a reasonable compromise and is, as the governor stated, “the right thing to do.”

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Watch a Video of the Signing Ceremony

Read the bill:  http://www.leg.state.or.us/10ss1/measpdf/hb3600.dir/hb3686.en.pdf

Read Governor Kulongoski’s letter on HB 3686 - http://www.oregon.gov/Gov/2010_Special_Session/Correspondence/Brown_HB3686.pdf

Read more at the Northwest Religious Liberty Association

Watch a Video of the Signing Ceremony

Washington House of Representatives Attempts to Facilitate Union Take-Over of Religious Child Care Centers

By Michael D. Peabody, Esq.

So what’s the biggest threat to religious liberty? According to J. Brent Walker, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, the answer is found in the strings attached to government funding of religious activity.  Earlier this month, during a speech for the Jewish Anti-Defamation League, Walker said, “What the government funds, it always regulates. Government-sponsored religion is always bad for religion. How can we raise a prophetic fist with one hand and take government money with the other?”

The truth of Walker’s statement was underscored just last week when the Washington State House of Representatives passed HB 1329, now working its way through the state Senate, that cleared the way for unionization of private and most non-profit child care centers if they take government subsidies for as little as one child, and even declares the centers’ employees “government employees” for the purposes of unionization.

In fact, HB 1329 openly declares that “child care center directors” and “workers” are “public employees” for the purposes of collective bargaining, if at least one child attending the center received government subsidies.  It further declared that “solely for the purposes of collective bargaining, the Governor is the ‘public employer.’”

There is an exemption for large non-profits with more than 200 regional affiliates or that send more than $3,000,000 in “membership dues” to a national organization.  The term “regional affiliates” is not defined although it is believed to primarily be aimed at large organizations such as the YWCA.  Large churches might be able to escape through this loophole if they can claim that the local congregations count toward the total of “regional affiliates” and that money sent to the national organization counts toward membership dues, but that will not be an easy argument for most churches that happen to run child care centers to win.

The House analysis claims that the bill would allow private child care centers to continue to have the right to “chose, direct, and terminate” child care workers. However this is boilerplate language for most contracts between employers and employees and it is easy to foresee scenarios in which religious child care organizations would be required to work their way through the union grievance process and defend their religiously-based decisions to a non-religious entity.  How can a religious child care center fulfill its faith-based mission when it has to answer to a secular labor union?

At a time when child care is expensive and parents are having to work longer hours to make ends meet, religious child care centers that have accepted subsidized children are in a particularly precarious position.  Local child care centers are generally small, mission-focused organizations with little money to defend themselves at the legislature. Sponsors of HB 1329, including the labor unions, are banking on this government dependence to generate pressure to dive into the non-profit sector and take over religious employers.  In this case, the labor unions are on the verge of taking over an entire industry.

There are Federal laws which might pre-empt this legislation, or as an alternative, a basis for non-profit exclusion, as well as U.S. Constitutional considerations, but it could be years before these issues could be sorted out by the courts.  In the meantime, if HB 1329 passes in its current form, and barring any court orders stopping it from going into effect, religious child care centers might either have to accept unionization or close their doors.

While there are many good reasons why government funding is necessary, and it is not at all certain that HB 1329 will become law, I would not be surprised to see similar legislation cropping up in more states as labor unions take advantage of government strings to try to control the elusive non-profit sector.

More on government funding to come in a future newsletter.

For more information about HB 1329:

Pat Robertson, the Earthquake in Haiti, and the Righteousness of God


In 1999, comedian George Carlin wrote, “Religion has actually convinced people that there’s an invisible man living in the sky who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever ’til the end of time! But He loves you.”

I thought about Carlin’s statement as I watched a clip of Pat Robertson blaming this week’s earthquake in Haiti on a mythical pact that the people of Haiti supposedly made with the Devil in order to become independent of France over two centuries ago. ““[E]ver since they have been cursed by one thing after the other, desperately poor,” Robertson said.

Unfortunately, this was not the first time that Pat Robertson or other preachers acting under the guise of Christianity twisted history and theology in order to explain various tragic events. Soon after the 9/11 attacks, Jerry Falwell had this to say, “I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way — all of them who have tried to secularize America — I point the finger in their face and say ‘you helped this happen.’”

After the December 26, 2004 Indonesian tsunami, John MacLeod, a minister in the First Presbyterian Church of Scotland, wrote, “Some of the places most affected by this tsunami attracted pleasure-seekers from all over the world. It has to be noted that the wave arrived on the Lord’s Day, the day that God has set apart to be observed the world over by a holy resting from all employments and recreations that are lawful on other days.”

After a massive tragedy, it is human nature to try to find out why it happened. The victims must have done something wrong, after all, isn’t everything pre-ordained by God?

This finger pointing was an approach that Christ Himself repeatedly rejected, whether it had to do with blaming a man’s parents for blindness, the experience of violent oppression, or even a natural disaster. In Luke 13:1-5 (NIV), we read the following exchange:

“Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

There is no magic formula for avoiding tragedy. Instead, we need to focus on our own lives before we start placing blame on others. “”Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3). It doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t eventually point out your brother’s eye goober, but be sure that you don’t hit him in the face with the big stick in your eye when you turn to look at him.

It is so easy to fall into the trap of perverting the good news of Jesus Christ by making Him look like an arbitrary tyrant intent on destroying people who have offended Him. Many people struggle through their faith or leave altogether when they can’t explain why bad things happen to good people or why a “loving” God would willingly torture people throughout eternity.

Jonathan Edwards terrified a generation of New Englanders when he preached in 1741, “The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked: his wrath towards you burns like fire; he looks upon you as worthy of nothing else, but to be cast into the fire. . . . You hang by a slender thread, with the flames of divine wrath flashing about it, and ready every moment to singe it, and burn it asunder” (Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God).

Theology along these lines, not found in the Bible, would explain why so many American Christians actively support torture or a preliminary attack on Iran. It explains the push for the death penalty against homosexuals in Uganda. It provided the framework for the Inquisition and cleansing of “heresy” throughout the middle ages. If God is just, and is our example, then why shouldn’t Christians seek to do His dirty work on earth? If forces of evil are going to be tortured in hell, why not send them there early and prevent them from leading the innocent astray?

This doctrine of eternal torture in hell violates principles that most decent human beings hold themselves to – it involves disproportionate punishment and invokes the cognitive dissonance of eternal bliss with the knowledge that another is undergoing eternal torment.

If God was like this, George Carlin’s sense of dark irony would be well-placed. The universe would have two sides, a bright living room where angels float on clouds, and a basement so evil that it would exceed the worst that Satan himself could conceive.

But is that really the character of God? No.

One of the biggest contributions that Seventh-day Adventism has made to Christianity is the rediscovery of the Biblical doctrine that hell is not eternal torment. There are many complete explanations of the Biblical research behind this position online (click here for a good place to start). Essentially Adventists believe that “the wicked . . . shall be destroyed forever” (Psalm 92:7), and that those who accept Christ can, “according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13).

So what does this have to do with religious liberty? Many of the strongest challenges to freedom of conscience and religious liberty on a global basis come from those who do not understand the reality of the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and instead make Him out to be a tyrant. They consider themselves His deputies.

Only when Christians begin to understand the truth of the gospel can they begin to see how important it is to tell the truth the consistency of His character and the all sufficient power of His love. “If you abide in my word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free,’” (John 8:31,32).

To learn how you can help the people of Haiti, visit:  www.adra.org/Haiti

A Church Scorned: Church, State, Marriage, and the Quest for Power

Church and State illustration
The State and the Church

“And so, by the power vested in me by the State of ___  and Almighty God, I now pronounce you husband and wife. What God has joined together, let no man put asunder.”

This pronouncement is the point in a religious wedding ceremony where the power of the state and the power of the Almighty God come together to fuse a couple in holy matrimony. To date, the vast majority of debates on same-sex marriage have focused on whether it is morally or spiritually correct. However, the foundational issue is whether the church should seek the right to control marriages performed outside of its walls. At its core, this is a battle that challenges the tenuous yet mutually protective balance between church and state, and the results matter regardless of what you believe about same-sex marriage.

Weddings are typically joyful experiences and even the most avowed atheists have not tried to prevent ministers from claiming the power of the State in performing the ceremony. However, even though the church and the state may happily hold hands at the wedding, they cannot dance together gracefully into a long-lasting  marriage unless each has great respect for the non-overlapping rights and obligations of the other.

Unlike the newlyweds, the state is not obligated to “forsake all others,” when it comes to religious viewpoints.  The state has little discretion when it comes  to solemnizing marriages, and absent an amendment to the constitution itself, is limited only by statutes having to do with the consent of the parties, age of the parties, and whether there are more than two parties involved.  On the other hand, churches have very broad discretion to solemnize marriages and can refuse to do so for virtually any reason. This broad discretion has not been challenged.

However, when the state begins to recognize marriages that churches find inappropriate, many churches are offended – churches feel almost as if the state has decided to “cheat” on the church. And hell hath no fury like a church scorned.

Regardless of the fact that same-sex couples have sought ceremonies in churches that will perform them or have sought civil ceremonies, conservative churches have begun to step in and intervene and have relied upon the power of the majority to force changes in otherwise permissive state constitutions.  This is not only a battle between secularism and religion. It is a battle between competing religious ideologies, and ultimately a battle for spiritual control.

Alonzo T. Jones, writing in his 1891 classic, The Two Republics: or, Rome and the United States of America, makes an astonishing observation about the way that the Medieval church accumulated political power over the state.

“Another most prolific source of general corruption was the church’s assumption of authority to regulate, and that by law, the whole question of the marriage relation, both in the Church and in the state. ”The first aggression . . . which the Church made on the state, was assuming the cognizance over all questions and causes relating to marriage. ” — Milmaii.21  (Click here to read the entire passage.)

While we are not at a point in history where the church is asserting direct political control, we can see that the church may be headed down this pathway yet again. After describing the circumstances and the Church’s methods, Jones continues:

“[I]n accordance with the rest of the theocratical legislation of Constantine and the bishops, the precepts of the Scripture in relation to marriage and divorce were adopted with heavy penalties, as the laws of the empire. As the church had assumed ‘cognizance over all questions relating to marriage,’ it followed that marriage not celebrated by the church was held to be but little better than an illicit connection.”

The church continued to assert control over legal marriage for centuries thereafter. In March of 1880, the Canadian Parliament considered a bill that would allow a man to marry his deceased wife’s sister.  The debate quickly turned to an argument over whether the church or the state had the power to regulate marriage.  There were Protestant and Jewish participants in the debate, the entirety of which can be read above, however the Catholic representative quickly asserted that the Church had “supreme power over marriage” and that the state must stand down. 

“Pius IX, in his letter to the King of Sardinia, dated 19th September, 1852, says : ” It is a dogma of faith that marriage was raised by Our Lord Jesus Christ to the dignity of a sacrament.”  Would you know the doctrine? The Council of Trent speaks: ‘Whosoever says that marriage is not really and truly one of the seven sacraments of the Evangelical Law, let him be anathema.’ If marriage is a sacrament, and such is our unalterable belief, the Church only, by divine right, has supreme power over Christian marriage. In fact the Church alone is the dispenser of the sacraments. St. Paul teaches us this in his first epistle to the Corinthians, chapter 4, in which he says : ‘Let a man so account of us as of the ministers of Jesus Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.’ The Pope Gelasius, writing to the Emperor Austasins told him plainly: ‘Although your dignity raises you above the human race, you are nevertheless subject to the Bishops in matters relating to the faith, and to the delivering of the sacraments.’

 And what is a sacrament, if it be not a means subordinate in its nature to the object of religious society? The Church has, therefore, supreme power over marriage. . . . We now arrive at the true question as it presents itself to us. We shall easily solve it. The hon. member for Jacques Cartier brings in a Bill which may meet with our approval, but he has just delivered a speech which I cannot accept as an expression of the ideas and principles of Catholics upon this question of marriage. What does the hon. member maintain? That this Parliament has the undoubted right to establish absolute impediments to marriage, and the not less undoubted power of dispensing with them. I protest against such a declaration, and I emphatically deny that this Parliament has a right to legislate as to the validity of marriage. Marriage is a sacrament; the state has nothing to say as to the administration of the sacrament, and, by consequence, as to the validity of marriage. That is an ecclesiastical contract over which religious society alone has a power, which cannot be vested in the state.”  (Emphasis added. Click here to read the debate.)

In the eyes of the Catholic church at the time, only sacramental marriage was legitimate.  Again, the current debate relates to this history. Does the church or the state have the power to define marriage?  If the church has the power, which church?

In California, church and state collided on marriage issues in 1948 when the Catholic Church sued claiming that the state had violated its religious liberty through a long-standing civil prohibition on interracial marriages.   The Court issued its ruling in Perez v. Sharp,198 P.2d 17, 32 Cal. 2d 711 (1948) (also known as Perez v. Lippold).  Those opposed to interracial marriage raised three major arguments: First, they argued that the law was really not discriminatory. Secondly, they discussed the effect on the children. Third they asserted that, in this case, the state had the power over the church’s sacrament because of an interest in promoting the “health safety, and general welfare.”  Ironically, these three arguments once used against the church’s request provide the backbone of the current arguments against same-sex marriage.

The Court’s majority found that the church was right and that the “anti-miscegenation” law was unconstitutional. Justice Shenk, dissenting in favor of the prohibition, wrote that the law was not discriminatory because, “Each [party seeking to marry a member of a different race] has the right and the privilege of marrying within his or her own group.”

In language that appears extremely offensive, Shenk turned his attention to the children resulting from interracial unions, “It is contended that interracial marriage has adverse effects not only upon the parties thereto but upon their progeny . . . and that the progeny of a marriage between a Negro and a Caucasian suffer not only the stigma of such inferiority but the fear of rejection by members of both races.”

Justice Shenk then stated that prohibiting interracial marriage was consistent with the “peace and safety” provisions of the Constitution. Shenk’s arguments should be familiar if you are following the current debate, and in fact several of the same cases are regularly cited including Cantwell v. Connecticut, and Reynolds v. United States.  

“Other considerations are presented in connection with petitioners’ contentions that their religious liberty is being infringed. The First Amendment to the United states Constitution declares that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibit the free exercise thereof. The due process of law clause of the Fourteenth Amendment embraces this fundamental concept of liberty as expressed in the First Amendment and renders the states likewise incompetent to transgress it. However, this religious liberty ‘embraces two concepts, freedom to believe and freedom to act. The first is absolute but, in the nature of things, the second cannot be.’ Cantwell v. Connecticut, 310 U.S. 296, 303, 60 S.Ct. 900, 903, 84 L.Ed. 1213, 128 A.L.R. 1352; Murdock v. Pennsylvania, 319 U.S. 105, 110, 63 S.Ct. 870, 87 L.Ed. 1292, 146 A.L.R. 81; Gospel Army v. City of Los Angeles, 27 Cal.2d 232, 163 P.2d 704. It has long been held that conduct, consisting of practices and acts, remains subject to regulation for the health, safety and general welfare. For example, a legislative determination that monogamy is the ‘law of social life’ has been held to prevail over the practice of polygamy and bigamy as a duty required, encouraged or suffered by religion. Reynolds v. United States, supra, 98 U.S. 145, 25 L.Ed. 244; Davis v. Beason, 133 U.S. 333, 10 S.Ct. 299, 33 L.Ed. 637; Cleveland v. United States, 329 U.S. 14, 67 S.Ct. 13, 91 L.Ed. 12.

“The reasoning behind this construction of the Constitution is obvious. The determination of proper standards of behaviour must be left to the Congress or to the state legislatures in order that the well being of society as a whole may be safeguarded or promoted. The protection of the individual’s exercise of religious worship afforded by our state Constitution, Article I, section 4, corresponds with that furnished by the federal guaranty as interpreted by the United States Supreme Court. Our Constitution expressly provides that the free exercise of religion guaranteed ‘shall not be so construed as to * * * justify practices inconsistent with the peace or safety of this state.’” 

Justice Shenk then provides a sampling of “supportive” scientific and legal documents, which are nearly frightening, and draws the following conclusion:

“ The foregoing excerpts from scientific articles and legal authorities make it clear that there is not only some but a great deal of evidence to support the legislative determination (last made by our Legislature in 1933) that intermarriage between Negroes and white persons is incompatible with the general welfare and therefore a proper subject for regulation under the police power. There may be some who maintain that there does not exist adequate data on a sufficiently large scale to enable a decision to be made as to the effects of the original admixture of white and Negro blood. However, legislators are not required to wait upon the completion of scientific research to determine whether the underlying facts carry sufficient weight to more fully sustain the regulation.”

Incidentally, most churches stayed out of the interracial marriage debate, leaving the Catholic Church to carry the civil rights issue forward. 

Although it has not happened as of yet in California, a lawsuit brought by a church that wishes to perform same-sex marriages that are recognized by the state could easily follow the reasoning found in Perez. This could create a bitter inter-religious fight in the courts between fundamentalist churches and permissive churches, and the courts would be asked to make a ruling on a religious issue.  My guess is that fundamentalists considered this troubling prospect and proposed the Constitutional Amendment to take the matter out of the court system altogether. However, in doing so, marriage was denied a full legal treatment, and the reliance on public sentiment to permanently curtail judicial examination of potential rights creates a very troubling precedent which will likely carry over into other contexts.  To understand the gravity of this approach, consider that had a ballot initiative been campaigned to amend the California constitution in opposition to the California Supreme Court’s finding in favor of allowing interracial marriage, interracial marriage would likely be unconstitutional in California today.*

While there are certainly reasons why churches should to have the right to solemnize only traditional marriage of a man and a woman within their walls, there is no legal foundation for churches to prevent marriage in other arenas. This could only be obtained via a structural change to the constitution itself.

Churches that are willing to argue that religious liberty does not extend to marriage are also asserting their power to limit the “rights” of other churches to perform same-sex marriages, and could soon see their own liberties limited in other areas through operation of their own logic if the political winds shift. 

Legally, not religiously, the institution of marriage is at a crossroads, and there are several ways that the matter could be resolved. First, all marriages could be reduced to nothing more than a civil contract with a separate non-legally recognized spiritual component. Secondly, the state could recognize the legal status of marriages between two consenting adults regardless of gender, and preserve the civil / religious nature of marriage and continue to preserve the broad discretion to marry or not presently enjoyed by churches. 

Considering the most recent votes on marriage, I would like to offer a third possibility.  Instead of secularism, could it be that religion will prevail over the state, casting a “theocratic” shadow over the nation?  In the late 1800s, the church’s power to control marriage was used as the precedent to promote laws governing the other institution of creation, the Sabbath.*  Could that happen again?  Maybe this is slippery slope reasoning, but considering that religious fundamentalists have been arguing that the secular state will prevail over the church if left unchecked, it is not an unfair argument. Perhaps instead of a single slippery slope, we are at the peak of the roof, facing slopes in both directions.

In a future article I plan to explore the history of marriage further and its legal relationship to religious legislation, but for now, at the least we should recognize the need to discern the issues involved in this debate fully before placing liberty of conscience at risk.

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*The historical link between regulation of marriage and the legal basis for proposed sabbath legislation will be explored in more detail in a future article. For more on the issue of majoritarian control of fundamental rights, please read the prior essay, Raw Majority Power: Why Checks and Balances Matter

What’s Wrong with Conspiracy Theories?

 RLTV: What's Wrong with Conspiracy Theories?

 

  

 

By Michael Peabody

The other day someone sent me a link to an “Antichrist Decoder” that has been posted online by an otherwise reputable Christian ministry. You can type in anybody’s name and the program will calculate the value of the name in Roman numerals. 

After checking my name to make sure that I was not the Antichrist I looked at the other names that people had plugged into the decoder and learned that Barack Obama is not the antichrist, neither is Barack Hussein Obama.  Ronald Wilson Reagan’s name doesn’t add up to 666 even if you type in two “v”s to make the W.

People were having fun with the decoder and for the uninitiated it would be at home in a carnival next to the “Love Meter” or “Magic 8 Ball.” Perhaps an “antichrist decoder” made the rounds on the county fair circuit in years gone by, or a 666 Decoder Ring was the cheap plastic treat in the box of Cracker Jacks.

A conspiracy theory hits the same synapses as the Weekly World News or National Enquirerproviding junk food for the mind that masquerades as a nutritious meal.  Just this last week while little Falcon Heene was presumably floating above Colorado in a UFO-Shaped balloon, YouTube videos that his dad made about how Hillary Clinton could be a “reptilian shape shifter” spiked in popularity. And each night millions tune in hear George Noory on Coast to Coast AMwhile he discusses tunnels under the pyramids and portals to other dimensions.  And every year seekers crowd churches to hear the latest interpretations of Scripture that specify how mysterious political events are aligning to bring the world to an end.  The problem with the cheap thrill of side show conspiracy theories is that concern about legitimate issues is eventually eroded as the carnival callers “cry wolf” so often that the real wolves can count on a feast.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “Conspiracy Theory” as “a theory that explains an event or set of circumstances as the result of a secret plot by usually powerful conspirators.”

Christianity as a whole is planted on a conspiracy theory that one day the world will end and that there are forces at work right now among the “principalities and powers” of this world that will effect that change and that rescue is coming from outer space and that you can communicate with tremendous powers simply through the power of thought.  We don’t often view it in these terms but that’s how it would sound to a Martian if he happened to walk into a church service.

In reality, some conspiracy theories are true and verifiable, but others are not. It is important to distinguish between verifiable or substantiated truth and error because any error, even if it is meant well, tends to corrupt the entirety of the message. In the religious world, people tend to take “judicial notice” of scripture so speaking in harmony with an established text is generally accepted, but other issues require proven and reliable evidence or they will, of necessity, be questioned. Believing that something bad is afoot if it is not mentioned in scripture with specificity must be backed up with substantial evidence if listeners are to take it seriously.

Conspiracy theories that float around without substantial grounding in truth present several serious drawbacks.

First, conspiracy theories that do not come true affect your credibility.

“A good conspiracy is unprovable. I mean, if you can prove it, it means they screwed up somewhere along the line.” Mel Gibson’s character inConspiracy Theory (1997). 

Around the year 2000, the millennial conspiracy nutcases (we call them now) came out and said that the world would end, planes would fall from the sky, and the electrical power grid would crash. Then, following 9/11 George Bush was going to institute marshal law and become dictator for life. Today, the H1N1 vaccine is a mind control drug and amounts to biological warfare.

Is there any truth to these conspiracies? Perhaps there is, but nothing has happened in the first two, and I am predicting that the vaccine will not create a nation of zombies. Still there are people who email me tons of information about FEMA concentration camps, mass production of body bags, and all kinds of fascinating things. I usually read them because it is fun to be afraid but each time it seems less and less likely.  There is too much “conspiracy” noise out there to distinguish the truth from the error, and unfounded conspiracies based on nothing more than the eyewitness report of a “friend of a friend of a friend” are not persuasive.

Second, conspiracy theories can distract you from present responsibilities.

“A Conspiracy!” cried the delighted lady, clapping her hands. “Of all things, I do like a Conspiracy! It’s so interesting!” – Lewis Carroll, My Lady, Sylvie and Bruno (1889) 

There is an old saying that it is possible to be “so heavenly minded that you are of no earthly good.” You can also be so “conspiracy minded” that you are of no earthly good.

When people tell me about conspiracy theories I often ask them whether they have taken the time to learn more about their faith or do good in their communities. They may show me some pamphlets they gave to people to “warn” them about whatever they think is going to happen but most of the time they haven’t done much more.

I do write this from a Christian perspective and I’ve learned over time that we really do have a lot of freedom in the United States and in Canada for the most part to speak freely about religion or politics, and to assemble. There are challenges from time to time which can be addressed but we still have the ability to address them. In a large sense, religious liberty is a supportive ministry that can be called upon when needed but does not necessarily need to be front and center unless there is a specific need for it.

Religious liberty ministry is like a fire extinguisher in a glass case. It must be charged up and ready to go. It needs to have all the resources to handle severe fires, but the sign says, “In case of emergency, break glass.” It can be used to inform people of current events but never to distract from the main mission of the church, which I believe is set forth in the Great Commission.

This segues nicely to the third reason I have a problem with conspiracy theories.

Third, conspiracy theories can become the center of your faith.

“Our cause is a secret within a secret, a secret that only another secret can explain, it is a secret about a secret that is veiled by a secret.”  Ja’far as-Sadiq (6th Imam)

A while back there was a group of borderline Seventh-day Adventists who decided to spread the gospel by talking about the antichrist. They put up billboards all over the country, reserved space in major newspapers, and otherwise launched massive media campaigns. Most of the ads appeared to be miles of tiny text punctuated by dire warnings and a picture of the purported antichrist.

This would appear to be evangelism in the negative – in other words, tell people about the bad in the world to teach them what’s good. It’s like former rock stars and drug dealers turned religious who tell stories of their fascinating lives. They had money, power, fame, mansions, cars, planes, and everything else you could ever want in life. But then the stories become far less interesting when they become Christians and now live in their vans traveling the country. I suppose it works for some people so I’m not going to knock it, but it’s usually made me more curious about their past than about what’s happening now.

I’ve met a lot of people who will tell all their friends about conspiracy theories thinking that they are sharing their faith. I met one person who went around giving out copies of Foxe’s Book of Martyrsand would regale listeners with stories about extreme torture. Entertaining? Weirdly so.  But effective? Yes, in turning people into atheists.

Leading somebody to an understanding of 666 is not the same as sharing one’s religious faith. It may seem like more fun but it doesn’t do much good in making an argument as to why people should want what you have.

Fourth, conspiracy theories can cause you to create enemies out of people whom you should be befriending and cause you to question the sincere motives of others.

“There will ever be some who take delight in dwelling upon the real or supposed faults and failures of others, and who employ their time in seeing, hearing, or reporting something that will destroy confidence in the person criticised. Few are without visible faults; in most persons careful scrutiny will reveal some defect of character; and upon these defects in others, some professed Christians delight to dwell. The habit strengthens with indulgence, and a love for gossip becomes their ruling passion. They gather together the tid-bits of reports,–all of them, it may be, utterly devoid of truth,–and feast upon the scandal, and share it with others as a rare delicacy.” Ellen White – Review and Herald, August 28, 1883.

Weird stories about aliens, Freemasons, the Illuminati, the Trilateral Commission, or any other group can draw unreasonable and unnatural lines between people. One person I met is fixated on the idea that there will one day be a holy war in America and is planning to run away into the mountains to hide from it all, but is afraid that he will not be able to escape persecution when it comes because the persecutors will have GPS and heat detectors. 

Unfortunately, this person has become a virtual hermit who believes he is living a pious lifestyle when in reality he makes Howard Hughes look normal. If he would put some of his tremendous mental horsepower to work helping people with problems that they are facing today, such as poverty, homelessness, illiteracy, and any other ways, he would make a tremendous impact for good. But instead he has twisted the plot around so much that he views any meaningful interaction with the real world as dangerous. Almost everybody is involved in a conspiracy against him, and he believes that most people in the world are formulating plans to do him wrong. The world has pretty much stayed the same but he has become a paranoid freak.

I’ve met wild eyed conspiracy theorists in many areas of life, not just religion. It is very difficult to reason with a person like this because if you question them, they believe that you are now part of the conspiracy. They think the worst of anybody they disagree with.

Hiding away on a mountain somewhere is not a call to piety. Conspiracy theories may have their place as mile markers but they should not impede forward progress.

In reality, the truth is out there, but you’re not likely to find it in a decoder ring.  True appreciation of faith or even religious liberty issues do not thrive in fear or require a crisis to be meaningful.  You can help liberty thrive when you care about the world and engage with it and the people who live here. Tell the verifiable, undeniable truth and the facts will speak for themselves.

“He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”  Micah 6:8

 

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Why America should not be declared a “Christian Nation”

Christian Nation Debate
What would it mean if the United States were officially declared a “Christian Nation”? How would it affect you in your everyday life? Would you have increased opportunity to practice your faith more freely? Would the government use its power to make moral laws that line up with your Christian beliefs or would it favor the ‘Christian beliefs’ of your neighbors?

Our best example might come from a time when much of Europe was a “Christian Continent.”   The Holy Roman Empire lasted from Emperor Otto’s coronation in 962 to 1806 when it was dissolved during the Napoleonic wars. For all intents and purposes it was considered the ultimate “Christian” political system.

The Empire was afraid what would happen if people began to compare the activities of its political and religious leaders with the Bible. There was tremendous power in the idea that a political leader could advance policies, not through debate, but by virtue that “God wants it this way, and if you disagree you are in opposition to God.”  To put this in perspective, imagine that President Obama could win the healthcare debate by simply saying that “God wants it this way, and if you disagree you are in opposition to God.”

Around 1419, John Huss began to speak against some of the customs of the Church, and because the Empire and the Church were so closely aligned, they spent a lot of energy trying to silence the “heresy.” The Empire was threatened because if Huss won the debate, he would show that the Church could be challenged and if the Church could be challenged, then it threatened the Empire itself, which based its power on the idea that God considered the Empire to be correct on all issues.

When people heard what Huss was saying, they began to doubt their old idea of a unified corpus Christianum and consider that people did not have to agree on everything when it came to faith.  A century later, in 1517, Martin Luther initiated the Reformation in an attempt to bring the Church around to his ideas.  People ended up siding with Luther or against him along geographic lines and Germany was split along these lines from which it never fully recovered until the Empire dissolved.

Added to this was the fact that popes and emperors tended to distrust each other, and felt that they had to fight to remain in control of the situation.

Many people believe that the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prevents the formation of a “state church” such as the Church of England.  While there are good reasons to believe that this was intended to be much broader, let’s assume for the sake of argument that Congress would still be free to declare that Christianity is the official religion of the country and that our laws were supposed to mirror God’s law.

Christianity has struggled with issues of power and control since its inception.  Throughout Jesus’ ministry, His disciples often asked Jesus, “Who is the greatest among us?”

They probably thought that Jesus would name John or Peter or Mathew and make this honored disciple a Vice President of the Kingdom.  But Jesus turned their question upside down.  

In Matthew 18 we read His answer. “Jesus called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said, ‘I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven” (NIV).

In recent months as I’ve read various calls for America to be declared a Christian nation, I’ve been surprised at some of the language used.  Tom Snyder on World Net Daily said that the idea of separation of church and state is promoted by “theophobic atheists, neo-pagan fascists, radical liberals, socialists, Marxists, anti-Christian bigots, sexual perverts, Christophobic politicians and journalists, and other such people who wish to obliterate the European Christian foundation on which America was built.”  See http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=45069

Snyder concludes that, “separation of church and state does not mean separation between politics and religion or politics and the Bible. As Gary DeMar points out, there is a big difference between an ‘ecclesiocracy’ where the church rules society through religious leaders with preachers and priests as the government officials, and a ‘theocracy’ where God rules the outward behavior of all people through the civil government chosen by the people. Thus, the Founding Fathers did indeed establish a Christian theocracy, but they did not establish a Christian ecclesiocracy.”

But who will tell us how God would rule the “outward behavior of all people”? Would some people claim to be closer to God and that they could tell everybody else how to live out their faith in their everyday lives? 

History tells us that it would not be a debate between Christians and atheists.  If Christianity won predominance over every other religious system in the nation, it would be a debate between Baptists, Episcopalians, Methodists, Lutherans, Catholics, Seventh-day Adventists, Pentacostals, and any other denomination you could name. Then it would be between the liberals and conservatives, and ultimately between conservatives or between liberals, the powerful – not the faithful – would control.

People interpret faith differently, and while most people think they believe the right thing, history tells us what to predict what would happen if one person’s right thing and the other person’s right thing were in disagreement.   Anybody who has served on a church board can tell you how much debate goes on about the smallest issues – churches have split over the color of carpet, whether somebody could play a guitar in church, or whether a woman can make an announcement in front.  Even the Protestants in Europe during the Reformation went to war and killed each other over whether the Eucharist was really the body and blood of Christ.

If America were declared a Christian nation, would this tendency to fight over the smallest differences in faith change? Would churches that uphold traditional marriage gain power over those who performed same-sex marriages? Would those who view national healthcare as a Godly objective fight with those who found problems with it? Would the liberal churches or conservative churches dominate the landscape? 

And what about those who were not Christian? Would they find themselves pressured to convert or face losing their rights to hold office, vote, or even own property?

Looking at history, the only way the idea of a “Christian America” that is envisioned would ever be able to “succeed” is by seeking power, suppressing dissent, and persecuting those who disagreed.  It might not follow a particular denomination, but because Christianity itself is so diverse there would need to be a central core of beliefs. There might be a few “true believers” who would carry their message forward without feeling upset by this change, but the majority of the people, including most Christians, would live in constant fear and frustration.

In an age when many Christian conservatives argue that the government cannot properly handle the issue of health care, many of the same people seem to have confidence in the government’s ability to handle matters of faith.  For that reason alone, separation of church and state should be a conservative cause. Religion does best when it stands on its own two feet and does not rely on the crutch of government.  Just as conservatives argue those who receive a lifetime of government funding cannot handle the open market, they should recognize that once churches depend on government “marketing” they will cease to be as productive.

 After a thousand years of religious leadership, the former Holy Roman Empire is now one of the most secular places on the globe. People look at churches as irrelevant antiques. And many government-funded churches in Europe are dying on the vine. This was because religion depended on the government and when the government pulled back, religion folded. If Americans want faith to thrive, it should grow on its own – not be stifled or forced by government. Faith does not need a government handout or increased bureaucratic overhead that would inevitably result.  Imagine if churches were run like the DMV!

This is not to say that there aren’t times when churches, synagogues, mosques, and other religious organizations can’t partner with government for humanitarian purposes, but rather that the government should stay out of matters of faith and doctrine.

Rather than seeking power in order to turn the United States into a Christian Empire, it would be better for individual Christians and churches to follow Jesus’ words, “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven” (NIV). The best way to grow Christianity is not through achieving power but through caring acts of kindness and mercy. Evangelical Christians should not seek to become a Christian nation, but they can seek to be a nation of Christians who have been attracted to Christ through their faith and freely chosen to follow Him. If Christians must rely on the power of government to increase their impact on the world, they are doing something very wrong.

Declaring that this is a “Christian Nation” would not make America better – it would make America a nation of robots and would misrepresent the freedom that faith can bring.  America should be a nation where people can choose their own faith and not have to be afraid that they will be marginalized or at a disadvantage when it comes to how their government treats them. America is a big place, and is definitely big enough for all peaceful people of faith as well as those who choose not to follow any faith. That’s what freedom of religion is all about.

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Religious intolerance now driving persecution of minorities across the world (Minority Rights Group)
August 16th, 2010

State of the World’s Minorities and Indigenous Peoples 2010reports that the rise of religious nationalism, the economic marginalization of religious minorities and the abuse of counter-terrorism laws have all led to a growing pattern of persecution against religious minorities globally.

A Christian Nation: But Which Christianity? (Baptist Joint Committee)
August 14th, 2010

A Christian Nation: But Which Christianity? from Jeff Huett on Vimeo. Mercer University President William D. Underwood delivers the keynote address at the 2010 Religious Liberty Council Luncheon in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Read more at BJCOnline.org)

An Analysis of the Results of the Federal Prop 8 Same-Sex Marriage Trial
August 5th, 2010

In short, Judge Walker ruled based on the evidence presented, as any trial judge should, and regardless of his own personal sexual orientation or biases, Prop 8 supporters simply did not make a viable case for themselves. Sloganeering may have won the election but did not win a trial where real evidence was required. Prop 8 supporters may later look at the ruling and claim it was wrongly decided but as this essay points out, the reality is that they did a poor job presenting their evidence and only put two witnesses on the stand, both of whom had previously written statements that contradicted their testimony in favor of Prop 8. When both of these witnesses were neutralized, Prop 8 advocates had nothing left with which to prove their case and any effort by any judge to add in facts to uphold Prop 8 would have been the very definition of judicial activism.

Transcript of Mayor Bloomberg’s Speech on Ground Zero Mosque
August 3rd, 2010

Delivered August 3, 2010 at Governors Island in New York. “We’ve come here to Governors Island to stand where the earliest settlers first set foot in New Amsterdam, and where the seeds of religious tolerance were first planted. We come here to see the inspiring symbol of liberty that more than 250 years later would [...]

Mayor Bloomberg Gives Stirring Speech on Mosque
August 3rd, 2010

Why Using “Landmark Status” to Block the NY Mosque is a Threat to Religious Land Use Rights
July 22nd, 2010

Last week I received a message from Jay Sekulow of the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) calling on Christians to protest plans to build a mosque in Manhattan near Ground Zero. (http://www.aclj.org/TrialNotebook/Read.aspx?ID=973 ) Although the ACLJ, not to be confused with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), does not try to hide the [...]

Analysis – Christian Legal Society v. Hastings – The Lesson: Stipulations Matter
July 16th, 2010

Earlier this month, the United States Supreme Court issued a 5-4 ruling holding that it was not unconstitutional for a public institution (Hastings University Law School) to require a institution-recognized student group (Christian Legal Society (CLS)) to allow any student to participate in the group regardless of their status or beliefs. You can read the [...]

A Short History Of The Conscientious Objector (Liberty Magazine)
July 12th, 2010

Michael Peabody, editor of ReligiousLiberty.TV, writes for the July / August 2010 issue of Liberty Magazine.  The full article is available in print and online at http://www.libertymagazine.org/index.php?id=1636 EXCERPT: The date was June 5, 1917, the first day of the draft. Sousa’s Band struck up “Stars and Stripes Forever” and the 6,000 in attendance at the [...]

Promoting Religious Liberty: Whither the Obama Administration? (Doug Bandow – Huffington Post)
July 11th, 2010

EXCERPT: The Obama administration has talked much about increased engagement and improved outreach abroad. But it has neglected to offer effective support for one of the most important human rights, religious liberty. The dilatory nomination of Dr. Cook as Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom is a start. Much more remains to be done, however. It [...]

So Much For Religious Liberty (Forbes)
July 8th, 2010

By Richard Epstein EXCERPT: What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. One glaring weaknesses of the modern law on religious freedom is that it turns a blind eye toward neutral rules with a disparate impact on members of minority groups. That is why Justice Scalia was wrong in Employment Division, Department of Human [...]

ReligiousLiberty.TV Promo
July 8th, 2010

Campus Christian Groups Loses Appeal at Supreme Court (CNN)
July 2nd, 2010

EXCERPT: CNN – The Supreme Court has ruled against a Christian campus group that sued after a California law school denied it official recognition because the student organization limits its core membership to those who share its beliefs on faith and marriage. At issue was the conflict between a public university’s anti-discrimination policies and a [...]

‘Under God’ Spray-Painted On Secularist Billboard (WSOC)
July 1st, 2010

EXCERPT: Charlotte, NC (WSOC) – A secularist billboard on the Billy Graham Parkway was vandalized over the weekend.The billboard, which was paid for by the The North Carolina Secular Association, shows an American flag and the words “One Nation, Indivisible.” Over the weekend, someone spray-painted the words “under God” on the billboard.Police were notified and [...]

Italy Fights School Crucifix Ban (AJE)
July 1st, 2010

The Italian government has begun its appeal against a decision by the European Court of Human Rights to ban crucifixes in school classrooms.

Nikki Haley provokes question: What’s Sikhism? (CNN)
June 24th, 2010

EXCERPT: By Stephen Prothero, Special to CNN – While researching my prior post about Nikki Haley coming under attack by her fellow South Carolina Republicans for her Sikh heritage, I came across a local activist, Oran Smith of the Palmetto Family Council, who told CNN, “Most people can’t even pronounce ‘Sikh,’ even the ones that [...]

North Carolina billboards challenge “one nation under God” (WBTV)
June 23rd, 2010

EXCERPT: Charlotte, NC (WBTV) – Some billboards popping up in Charlotte and across North Carolina are giving some drivers reason to pause. One of the billboards is on Billy Graham Parkway in west Charlotte.  It shows an American flag with the words “One Nation Indivisible” superimposed. The billboard campaign has just started and will appear [...]

EU Panelists Discuss European Work Free Sunday
June 17th, 2010

In this debate, you can watch Ilda Figueiredo (GUE/NGL), Nirj Deva (ECR), Antigoni Papadopoulou (S&D) and Nadja Hirsch (ALDE) voice their views on the Protection of a work free Sunday in the EU.

RLTV PODCAST – “Under the Blood Banner” Eric Kreye talks about Growing Up in Hitler’s Germany
June 17th, 2010

Eric Kreye, whose story is told in the book Under the Blood Banner: The Story of a Hitler Youth talks with Michael Peabody about growing up in Hitler’s Germany. Born in America but raised in Germany, Eric describes how he was beaten by his teacher when he could not recite Hitler’s life story, how his father helped him avoid many of the Hitler Youth activities, how his family hid a Jewish woman and her daughter from the Gestapo, what it was like when the American military moved into Germany, and how he and his brother came to America.

 Under the Blood Banner: Growing Up in Hitler's Germany [17:37m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Universal Declaration of Human Rights
June 14th, 2010

Human rights refers to the “basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled.”

RLTV PODCAST: Jason Hines – A Passion for Freedom
June 11th, 2010

Attorneys Jason Hines and Michael Peabody discuss principles of  liberty of conscience.

 Jason Hines - A Passion for Freedom [16:23m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Ground-Zero Mosque Protest Organizer: “Not an Issue of Religious Freedom” (CNN)
June 9th, 2010

EXCERPT: New York (CNN) — Protesters gathered in lower Manhattan mid-day Sunday to demonstrate against plans to build a mosque near the site of Ground Zero, where the twin towers of the World Trade Center were destroyed by Islamist hijackers on September 11, 2001. Protest organizer Pamela Geller, a conservative blogger, and her group, “Stop [...]

ANALYSIS: Deflationary Depression and Purging To Come (The International Forecaster)
June 6th, 2010

Read the full article: http://theinternationalforecaster.com/International_Forecaster_Weekly/Deflationary_Depression_and_Purging_To_Come EXCERPT: It was a year and one-half ago we told you that $800 billion in stimulus wasn’t enough. That is now proving to be the case. Get ready for another liquidity barrage, called quantitative easing. It will also mean real interest rates will rise again. The backbone of most all [...]

EDITORIAL: FTC floats Drudge tax
June 6th, 2010

Read the full article: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jun/4/ftc-floats-drudge-tax/ EXCERPT: The ideas being batted around to save the industry share a common theme: They are designed to empower bureaucrats, not consumers. For instance, one proposal would, “Allow news organizations to agree jointly on a mechanism to require news aggregators and others to pay for the use of online content, [...]

“Spritual but not religious” community growing (CNN)
June 6th, 2010

EXCERPT: June 4, 2010 – (CNN) — “I’m spiritual but not religious.” It’s a trendy phrase people often use to describe their belief that they don’t need organized religion to live a life of faith. But for Jesuit priest James Martin, the phrase also hints at something else: egotism. “Being spiritual but not religious can [...]

C. Welton Gaddy: Between Religion and Politics (Chautauqua Institution)
June 5th, 2010

Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, president of The Interfaith Alliance and whose past leadership roles include president of Americans United for Separation of Church and State and chair of the Pastoral Leadership Commission of the Baptist World Alliance, discusses the philosophy and implications of secularism and the importance of a relationship between religion and politics.

Jefferson and Mason: From Toleration to Freedom (Chautauqua Institution)
June 5th, 2010

Charles Haynes, senior scholar at the First Amendment Center, has a conversation with actors portraying George Mason and Thomas Jefferson on the subject of universal rights and the free exercise of religion.

Combining Comedy with Religion
June 5th, 2010

Religious leaders denounce Arizona immigration law (BBC)
June 5th, 2010

EXCERPT: June 4, 2010 – Religious leaders in the US and Latin America have denounced Arizona’s controversial new immigration law. The law requires police to question people about their immigration status, if officers suspect the person is in the US illegally, and if they have stopped them for a legitimate reason. Archbishop Rafael Romo Munoz, [...]

On a Visit to the U.S., a Nigerian Witch-Hunter Explains Herself (New York Times)
June 5th, 2010

EXCERPT: May 21, 2010 — HOUSTON (NYT) — At home in Nigeria, the Pentecostal preacher Helen Ukpabio draws thousands to her revival meetings. Last August, when she had herself consecrated Christendom’s first “lady apostle,” Nigerian politicians and Nollywood actors attended the ceremony. Her books and DVDs, which explain how Satan possesses children, are widely known. [...]

High School Sophomores Answer Question “How Would You Feel If Your Religious Freedom Was Taken Away?”
May 16th, 2010

As their final assignment for the play, I had students respond to the question, “How would you feel if your religious freedom was taken away?” The responses varied, in both length and reaction. Nearly all of the teenagers in the class are self-described Christians, but their approach toward religion varies from conservative evangelical to tolerant progressives to near-agnostic. Their reactions to a potential scenario in which they were not allowed to practice religion freely ranged from the pragmatic to conformist to vigilant resistance.

Visit Our Facebook Group for the Latest News Stories
May 13th, 2010

Get the latest news, share stories, or comment on current events at our Facebook group. ReligiousLiberty.TV , launched in June 2008, is a leading independent online resource for news, information, commentary, and insights on contemporary issues involving the free exercise and establishment clauses of the United States Constitution. Today’s rapidly evolving Constitutional landscape has led [...]

Take A Quick Survey! Win a T-Shirt!
May 11th, 2010

Just in time for our 2-year Anniversary, ReligiousLiberty.TV is giving one of our fancy new T-shirts to a lucky person who completes our short survey. In turn, we’ll find out how to make it an even better website. To enter, click this link and get started.  Must provide your name and email address. If you [...]

Workplace Religious Freedom Bill Finds Revived Interest (Religion News Service)
May 10th, 2010

EXCERPT: May 5, 2010 – WASHINGTON (RNS) — More than a decade after it was first introduced, an on-again off-again bill to protect employees’ religious expression in the workplace is attracting renewed attention that could lead to action on Capitol Hill in coming weeks. . . . “The bill will be introduced to Congress soon [...]

Michael Newdow – Question to Justice Scalia: Does the Establishment Clause Permit the Disregard of Devout Catholics?
April 28th, 2010

Dr. Michael Newdow, an attorney and physician famous for his litigation on church-state issues from an atheist perspective, and and previous article contributor to ReligiousLiberty.TV, has now published an important law review article for the Capital University Law Review that discusses the history of American religious freedom and tolerance and why the majority should carefully consider the [...]

ANALYSIS: Supreme Court Declines to Hear Discrimination Case Involving Labor Union
April 21st, 2010

By Michael D. Peabody, Esq. – For over 25 years, the legal system has grappled with the question of what constitutes prima facie discriminatory conduct under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.  Courts across the nation have established different standards for prima facie discrimatory conduct and there have been no clear-cut answers. Sixth Circuit Court [...]

Uproar in Canada over face-veil ban (Al Jazeera English)
April 19th, 2010

In Quebec a furious public debate has erupted over Muslim women who wear the niqab – face veil. Out of over 200,000 Muslims in Montreal, only a few dozen women wear the niqab, but under a proposed new legislation they could be barred from receiving public services.

Observations of Liberty in China (WWUB)
April 19th, 2010

By Martin Surridge – The mass of strangers and suitcases pressed against me so tightly that I did not have to worry about the sharp turns and rapid acceleration of the train as it hurtled through the Beijing underground because the dozens of people breathing down my neck in the center of the carriage prevented [...]

First European conference for the protection of a work-free Sunday
April 13th, 2010

Address by the Keynote Speaker Lázló Andor at the first European Conference for the ‘protection of a work-free Sunday’. The conference was held at the European Parliament in Brussels on Wednesday 24th March 2010.

Conference Held to Relaunch Protection of Work-Free Sunday at European Level (ARLP)
April 13th, 2010

A conference whose aim was to relaunch the protection of a work-free Sunday debate at European level (see www.comece.org) was held on Wednesday the March 24, 2010 in Brussells. ARLP has posted a story on their website along with a video of the keynote address. Here are some of the reasons for the conference: Purpose [...]

Gendercide: China’s shameful massacre of unborn girls means there will soon be 30m more men than women (Daily Mail)
April 10th, 2010

EXCERPT: By the year 2020, there will be 30 million more men than women of marriageable age in this giant empire, so large and so different (its current population is 1,336,410,000) that it often feels more like a separate planet than just another country. Nothing like this has ever happened to any civilisation before. The [...]

John Paul Stevens Retires from Supreme Court (AP)
April 10th, 2010

Americans United Praises Justice Stevens’ Record On Church And State
April 9th, 2010

Americans United for Separation of Church and State today praised Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens for his record of support for church-state separation and expressed the hope that his replacement will hold similar views.

Church-state advocates urge strong successor for Stevens (ABP)
April 9th, 2010

EXCERPT from American Baptist Press: WASHINGTON (ABP) — With the Supreme Court’s oldest and longest-serving member announcing April 9 his retirement, advocates for strong church-state separation urged that Justice John Paul Stevens’ replacement be as devoted to preventing government establishment of religion as the retiring jurist. However, some called for a successor who can improve [...]

Soldiers Fight a Battle of Conscience
April 9th, 2010

The Truth Commission on Conscience in War is a group of religious leaders and scholars who have joined together to discuss the theory of just war, international law and freedom of conscience during times of war. The 70-member commission recently held a public hearing at Riverside Church, where soldiers spoke about their war experiences. The [...]

French PM advised against total Islamic veil ban
April 6th, 2010

EXCERPT from BBC News (link below): France’s top administrative body has advised the government that any total ban on face-covering Islamic veils could be unconstitutional. The State Council also said a ban could be justified in some public places. Prime Minster Francois Fillon had asked the council for a legal opinion before drawing up a [...]

HISTORICAL SKETCH: Roger Williams, Apostle Of Religious Freedom
April 6th, 2010

By Ellen G. White – The framers of the Constitution recognized the eternal principle that man’s relation with his God is above human legislation, and his rights of conscience inalienable. Reasoning was not necessary to establish this truth; we are conscious of it in our own bosoms. It is this consciousness which, in defiance of human laws, has sustained so many martyrs in tortures and flames. They felt that their duty to God was superior to human enactments, and that man could exercise no authority over their consciences. It is an inborn principle which nothing can eradicate.”

RLTV PODCAST: Ryan Bell – “I’m a Social Justice Christian”
April 5th, 2010

Ryan Bell, pastor of the Hollywood Seventh-day Adventist Church talks with Michael Peabody about Glenn Becks’ recent controversial comments against “social justice Christians” and why Christians should work toward social justice.

 PODCAST: Ryan Bell - "I'm a Social Justice Christian" [8:18m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Video: Oregon Governor Repeals Ban on Teachers’ Religious Dress
April 2nd, 2010

Oregon Governor Signs Bill Repealing Ban on Teachers’ Religious Dress
April 1st, 2010

SALEM, OREGON – On April 1, 2010, Governor Ted Kulongoski signed a bill (HB 3686) that will repeal Oregon’s 87-year-old ban on teachers wearing religious dress.

Maryland State Legislature considers a Workplace Religious Freedom Act (HB 381)
March 31st, 2010

ANNAPOLIS – The Maryland State Legislature is presently considering a state-level Workplace Religious Freedom Act” (HB 381).  The bill, currently working its way through the House where it was heard on February 10, 2010, addresses employee requests for observance of holy days. Modeled on the Maryland Flexible Leave Act, the Maryland Workplace Religious Freedom Act would require [...]

Should Europe recognize Sunday as the official day of rest? (BBC Video)
March 30th, 2010

Dr. Michael Schluter, founder of Keep Sunday Special, debates business entrepreneurs and representatives of other faith groups on the issue of whether Europe should adopt Sunday as a uniform day of rest. Part I Part II Related stories: ANALYSIS: European Sunday Weekly Rest Day Legislation Remains Unlawful “This matter deserves a full debate engaging all [...]

Arrests Made in Christian Militia Police-Killing Plot (CBN)
March 29th, 2010

EXCERPT: Members of a paramilitary group have been charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and wage war against the United States — and they use God as their reasoning. The group is active in three Midwest states. The FBI believes some of its members were about to launch a massacre. Read [...]

NJ county’s Sunday buying ban may be checking out (AP)
March 29th, 2010

Thanks to RLTV reader Doug Beasley for finding this story. EXCERPT: The Sunday shopping ban in New Jersey’s largest county — among the nation’s last remaining blue laws — may be lifted to satisfy the state’s hunger for more sales tax revenue. The budget proposed last week by new Republican Gov. Chris Christie assumes $65 million in new [...]

Stephen Colbert Tests Columbia Prof On Textbooks (Comedy Central)
March 25th, 2010

The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c I’s on Edjukashun – Texas School Board www.colbertnation.com Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Reform The Texas State Board of Education has voted to radically alter textbook lessons for future generations, removing from curricula separation of church and state and references to Thomas Jefferson. [...]

9th Circuit Upholds the Term ‘God’ in Pledge and on Currency
March 21st, 2010

Although this was a lawsuit brought by an atheist, had he won, the result might have actually been more protective of the honor of God. After these rulings stripping the name of God of any religious meaning, those who have so long clamored for God’s name to be mentioned as a statement of this nation’s religious faith might want to re-think their position.

9th Circuit Holds ‘Ministerial Exception’ Bars Seminarian Employment Case
March 21st, 2010

EXCERPT: This “ministerial exception” helps to preserve the wall between church and state from even the mundane government intrusion presented here. In this case, plaintiff Cesar Rosas seeks pay for the overtime hours he worked as a seminarian in a Catholic church in Washington. The district court correctly determined that the ministerial exception bars Rosas’s claim and dismissed the case on the pleadings.

Washington State Bill to Unionize Child Care Centers Dies in Committee
March 18th, 2010

Washington State Bill to Unionize Child Care Centers Dies in Committee We have good news from the State of Washington. You may have read our last newsletter about the bill that labor unions were trying to pass that would unionize private child care centers, and including faith-based preschools, and categorize their workers as government employees [...]

Oregon Legislature Votes Down 1923 Ban on Teachers Wearing Religious Dress
March 17th, 2010

Oregon Legislature Votes Down 1923 Ban on Teachers Wearing Religious Dress By Michael Peabody – This month we have a couple of big stories coming out of the great Pacific Northwest. In Oregon, the legislature has passed a bill championed by the Northwest Religious Liberty Association that overturns a 87-year-old law that prohibited teachers from [...]

Texas education board rejects in-depth study of First Amendment (DallasNews.com)
March 12th, 2010

EXCERPT: AUSTIN – Republicans on the State Board of Education soundly rejected a Democratic-backed proposal Thursday that would have required Texas students to be taught the reasons behind the prohibition of a state religion in the Bill of Rights. The contentious decision in curriculum standards for U.S. government classes appeared to signal the unhappiness of several board [...]

RLTV Podcast: Martin Surridge on Swiss Minarets and the French Burqa Ban
March 9th, 2010

Martin Surridge, the new associate editor of ReligiousLiberty.TV and Michael Peabody discuss recent developments in Europe.

 RLTV Podcast: Martin Surridge on Swiss Minarets and the French Burqa Ban [7:42m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Religious Tension Leads to Clashes in Jerusalem (From Al Jazeera English)
March 8th, 2010

Conference to Relaunch ‘Sunday Protection’ at European Level to be Held (COMECE)
March 5th, 2010

At RLTV we have been watching developments of this issue for over a year.  A coalition of churches and labor unions is again working toward the goal of a European Sunday rest law.   Editor EXCERPT: A Conference to relaunch the debate on Sunday protection at European level will be held on 24 March in the European [...]

Tension over Religious Sites Leaves Dozens Hurt in Jerusalem Clashes
March 5th, 2010

EXCERPT from BBC News (link below): Palestinians and Israeli police have clashed near the Jerusalem compound housing the al-Aqsa mosque, leaving dozens of people injured. A large group of Palestinians left Friday prayers and began marching to the mosque, carrying banners and waving green flags, witnesses and police said. Police tried to disperse the crowd [...]

Faith Healing Couple Guilty of Murder
March 3rd, 2010

EXCERPT from ABC News (link below): An Oregon husband and wife who relied on faith rather than medicine to treat their dying child were convicted today of criminally negligent homicide. Jeffrey and Marci Beagley of Oregon City said they thought their 16-year-old son, Neil, merely had the flu when they prayed and laid hands on [...]

The Winter Olympics and Inequality in Global Athletics
March 3rd, 2010

In high school, the only sports I played to any significant extent were soccer and basketball. A lot of my friends went snowboarding or skiing, but it was a long drive to the mountains and I could not really afford all the equipment, which cost hundreds of dollars. So I never spent much time on [...]

RLTV PODCAST: Jason Hines on The Church, Same-Sex Marriage, and Public Policy
February 26th, 2010

Michael Peabody interviews Jason Hines, attorney and Andrews University seminary student, about the topic of same-sex marriage and why religious groups need to be careful to protect liberty of conscience in their advocacy on this issue.

 Jason Hines on the Church, Same-Sex Marriage, and Public Policy [12:33m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

UN condemns Gaddafi jihad call
February 26th, 2010

EXCERPT from Al Jazeera English (link below): The United Nations and European Union have condemned a call from Libya’s leader for Muslims to carry out jihad against Switzerland over a recent vote to ban the construction of minarets in the European country. Gaddafi said: “Any Muslim around the world who has dealings with Switzerland is an [...]

Oregon Legislature Ends Ban on Teachers Wearing Religious Dress – Goes to Governor for Signature
February 25th, 2010

EXCERPT from OregonLive.com (link below): Oregon’s longstanding ban on teachers wearing head scarves or other religious dress is near its demise after the Senate and House gave final approval Tuesday to lift the ban. Champions in the Senate called ending the ban a historic step toward religious freedom and non-discrimination in a state that has [...]

Washington House of Representatives Attempts to Facilitate Union Take-Over of Religious Child Care Centers
February 24th, 2010

By Michael D. Peabody – So what’s the biggest threat to religious liberty? According to J. Brent Walker, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, the answer is found in the strings attached to government funding of religious activity. Earlier this month, during a speech for the Jewish Anti-Defamation League, Walker said, “What the government funds, it always regulates. Government-sponsored religion is always bad for religion. How can we raise a prophetic fist with one hand and take government money with the other?”

The truth of Walker’s statement was underscored just last week when the Washington State House of Representatives passed HB 1329, now working its way through the state Senate, that cleared the way for unionization of private and most non-profit child care centers if they take government subsidies for as little as one child, and even declares the centers’ employees “government employees” for the purposes of unionization.

HISTORY: Nine Children Face an Angry Town (Adventist Review)
February 23rd, 2010

EXCERPT: I’M DRIVING HOME ONE DAY LAST SEPTEMBER with a major assignment on my mind—a formal presentation at an October conference in observance of the fiftieth anniversary of what some have called the most controversial book in Adventism: Questions on Doctrine. My radio is tuned to CSPAN, and on comes a live report of the [...]

Obama speaks up for Tibetans, but in a hushed voice (India Times)
February 19th, 2010

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/Obama-speaks-up-for-Tibetans-but-in-a-hushed-voice/articleshow/5594740.cms EXCERPT: WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama met with the Dalai Lama to express his “strong support” for human rights and religious freedom for the people of Tibet while encouraging a direct dialogue with China. Mr Obama “commended the Dalai Lama’s ‘Middle Way’ approach, his commitment to non-violence and his pursuit of dialogue with the Chinesegovernment during [...]

God’s Counterterrorism in a ’24′ World
February 13th, 2010

God’s Counterterrorism in a ’24′ World from Ryan Bell on Vimeo. Ryan Bell, the pastor Hollywood Seventh-day Adventist Church, gave this presentation at La Sierra University on January 28, 2010.

RLTV PODCAST: Monte Sahlin on How to Help Haiti
February 10th, 2010

Monte Sahlin is the director of Research and Development of the Ohio Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and is an expert international humanitarian aid.  In this podcast he discusses the Haiti Earthquake and the response of a church group from Idaho that tried to help but got in trouble. He discussed Haiti  and other current issues [...]

 Monte Sahlin: How to Help Haiti [9:00m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Oregon House Votes to Repeal Ban on Teachers Wearing Religious Dress
February 10th, 2010

By an overwhelming majority, the Oregon House of Representatives has voted 51-8 to repeal a Klan-era ban on teachers wearing religious dress in the classroom.  The law, originally an anti-Catholic measure, was implemented with the support of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s. It bans Muslim public school teachers from wearing headscarves, Sikh men [...]

The European Attack on Religious Liberty
February 8th, 2010

While they have been easy to miss, the news has been peppered recently with stories of serious threats to religious liberty not in the developing world, war-torn regions in the Middle East, or third-world countries struck by natural disasters, but in Europe, our own geopolitical backyard.

Haiti Quake Report (ADRA)
February 7th, 2010

First hand reports of Adventist Development and Relief Agency’s assistance to the earthquake victims of Haiti. Visit ADRA.org for more information.

Russia plan to “kick out cults” could also affect religious freedom (RT)
February 6th, 2010

The damage of the anti-vaccine movement (Los Angeles Times)
February 6th, 2010

Childhood diseases once mostly eradicated are making a comeback. And children are dying.

RLTV PODCAST: Martin Surridge on the Decline of Islamic Terrorism
February 1st, 2010

Martin Surridge and Michael Peabody discuss Surridge’s recent article, “Is the Era of Large-Scale Islamic Terrorism Coming to an End?” in which he theorizes that Islamic terrorism in the West is on the decline.

 The Decline of Terrorism - Martin Surridge [8:33m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Some Thoughts on the Implications of the Same-Sex Marriage Trial for Religious Minorities
January 31st, 2010

Putting the emotional issues aside, this is the cold reality: If the U.S. Supreme Court takes this case and decides to uphold Proposition 8, this outcome could strip away fundamental principles that also protect religious minorities.

RLTV PODCAST: Attorney Karen Scott on the Current Problem of Human Trafficking in the United States
January 29th, 2010

Michael Peabody interviews  Karen Scott about the  problem of modern day slavery and human trafficking in the United States.

 Standard Podcast [9:48m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Bumper Music: “What’s the Matter with the World” by C Sharp.  Music obtained through MusicAlley.com.

Is the Era of Large-Scale Islamic Terrorism Coming to an End?
January 25th, 2010

While the world cautiously watches the war in Afghanistan and the nuclear aspirations of Iran, a surprising geopolitical trend may be emerging which could have quite profound consequences for international security and the safety of millions throughout southwest Asia and indeed the rest of the world. Despite the global carnage that Islamic terrorist groups continue [...]

RLTV PODCAST: Scott Ritsema on the Gun Sight Controversy
January 25th, 2010

Michael Peabody interviews Scott Ritsema about the recent controversy involving a gun sight manufacturer that inscribed Bible references on tactical equipment used by military forces around the world.  Scott Ritsema is the author of The Way the Truth and the Sword and maintains a blog at http://civicsnews.blogspot.com.

 Scott Ritsema on the Gun Sight Controversy [10:21m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
BUMPER MUSIC:  ”Guns or Butter” performed by [...]

Muzzle Flash Evangelism: Outrage over Biblical References on Military Gun Sights (From ABC News)
January 21st, 2010

Walla Walla – Shelter for Freedom Screens Documentary Film “Cargo: Innocence Lost”
January 21st, 2010

By Martin Surridge  A multitude of Walla Walla University students joined local community members and concerned citizens at Shelter for Freedom’s headlining event on Saturday night, January 16, 2010, filling Whitman College’s Cordiner Hall for the screening of the documentary film “Cargo: Innocence Lost.” The screening, which was followed by a panel discussion, was just one of [...]

Spiritually transformed killing machines of Christ (Civics News)
January 20th, 2010

Scott Ritsema CIVICS NEWS January 19, 2010 As if there weren’t enough instances where the American Empire is associated with the faith of Jesus (see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here for starters) another sad story has leaked into the media (see ABC story here), this time about Bible [...]

VIDEO – Pat Robertson Gives Religion A Bad Name With His Disaster Comments – CNN
January 16th, 2010

Arianna Huffington joined The Nation’s Ari Melber and former evangelist Frank Schaeffer on The Joy Behar Show Thursday. The panel weighed in on evangelist Pat Robertson’s claims that the earthquake in Haiti is the result of that country’s “pact with the devil.” Arianna  Huffington thinks Robertson is giving religion a bad name. “For anybody of faith, [...]

Pat Robertson, the Earthquake in Haiti, and the Righteousness of God
January 15th, 2010

In 1999, comedian George Carlin wrote, “Religion has actually convinced people that there’s an invisible man living in the sky who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever ’til the end of time! But He loves you.”

I thought about Carlin’s statement as I watched a clip of Pat Robertson blaming this week’s earthquake in Haiti on a mythical pact that the people of Haiti supposedly made with the Devil in order to become independent of France over two centuries ago. ““[E]ver since they have been cursed by one thing after the other, desperately poor,” Robertson said.

Blue Laws and Sunday Legislation-why do they exist? CNN Video
January 13th, 2010

A video describing some of the religious and secular rationale behind American Sunday blue laws.

‘Aye, those be slighting words against the Lord:’ Ireland’s blasphemy law (National Post)
January 10th, 2010

EXCERPT: On the first day of 2010 (note: not 1310), Ireland’s new blasphemy law came into effect, making statements about the folly of religion punishable by a 25,000 euro fine. Specifically, the law forbids “publishing or uttering matter that is grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters sacred by any religion.” Ireland, yet again, [...]

Pope Benedict: “the Great Consolidator” (American Spectator)
January 10th, 2010

EXCERPT from the Article by Jeremy Lott: That makes him a conservative but a radical one. The easiest way to change a church is to drastically change her membership, and that is exactly what the pope is calling for with his impatient prodding to bring whole communions into the flock. Yesterday the traditionalists, today the [...]

Report says 225,000 Haiti children work as slaves (AP)
December 23rd, 2009

From http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/latinamerica/6783415.html EXCERPT: PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Poverty has forced at least 225,000 children in Haiti’s cities into slavery as unpaid household servants, far more than previously thought, a report said Tuesday. The Pan American Development Foundation’s report also said some of those children — mostly young girls — suffer sexual, psychological and physical abuse while [...]

Dr. Adrian Westney Passes Away
December 18th, 2009

      Dr. Adrian Theophilus Westney passed away at the age of 82 on December 14, 2009 after having served the Seventh-day Adventist Church and the cause of religious freedom for over 60 years. Before coming to the United States in 1960, Westney planted churches and pastored in his homeland of Jamaica, as well as [...]

Event “Slavery: The Fight We Thought Was Over” – Walla Walla – January 14-18, 2010
December 15th, 2009

    SHELTER FOR FREEDOM  “Slavery: The Fight We Thought Was Over” FILM: “Cargo: Innocence Lost” Walla Walla University & Whitman College January 14-18, 2010 Walla Walla, WA           All the following events are free except for Film Screening and Reception.   EVENTS TO BENEFITS WALLA WALLA HELPLINE WOMEN’S SHELTER     Thursday, January 14, [...]

Cargo: Innocence Lost Movie
December 15th, 2009

Cargo: Innocence Lost – Film screening – Saturday, January 16, 5:00 pm, Cordiner Hall, Whitman College – Documentary by Michael Cory Davis on human trafficking in the United States – Anne Archer will introduce the film and Michael Cory Davis – Panel discussion to follow featuring Anne Archer, Michael Cory Davis and law enforcement, slavery [...]

Jan Paulsen on Freedon
December 12th, 2009

Pastor Jan Paulsen, world president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church discusses freedom as a foundational value for human dignity.

Faith, Freedom, and Justice Sonia Sotomayor (Liberty Magazine)
December 10th, 2009

By David A. Pendleton – Ever since President Barack Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor to the United States Supreme Court, the chattering classes have speculated endlessly regarding the impact she might have on the future of American jurisprudence.  She would bring wide-ranging experiences to the Court: prosecutor, civil litigator, federal trial judge, federal appellate judge, law [...]

Michigan Church Has the Right to Help Poor People, ACLU Tells Court (ACLU Release)
December 10th, 2009

“Congress enacted the Religious Land Use Act to protect the fundamental right of freedom of religion,” said Dan Korobkin, an ACLU of Michigan staff attorney who is representing the church. “Churches and other religious institutions have the right to use their property to exercise their religious beliefs — which in this case entails providing charitable services to the poor and underprivileged.”

China and a Canadian Newspaper call for worldwide one-child policy
December 10th, 2009

This comes from the left end of the political spectrum and presents what may simply be rhetorical posturing, or a harbinger of the next big issue.  Aside from a one-child policy we can expect it to trickle into areas having to do with euthanasia, health care, etc.  China has recently been calling for an international [...]

Pastor Boissoin’s Lawyer: Case Will Positively Impact Religious Freedom in Canada (LifeSiteNews)
December 7th, 2009

From http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/dec/09120706.html EXCERPT: CALGARY, December 7, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Gerald Chipeur, the lawyer who represented Pastor Stephen Boissoin, has said that the recent ruling in favor of Mr. Boissoin “will have a significant long term positive impact on religious freedom in Canada.” Pastor Boissoin was exonerated by a Court of Queen’s Bench judge last week [...]

The Manhattan Declaration: Approach with Caution
December 7th, 2009

We have no reason to doubt that those who drafted and are signing the Declaration are sincere and trying to do what they believe is best for America. There are many good reasons why it may seem a good idea, but we should raise a voice of caution regarding the unintended consequences of this approach. Christians tempted to set aside theological differences, which include differences in how grace and salvation are viewed so significant that they led to the battles of the Reformation and Inquisition, and unite on points held in common in order to change society should recall the unholy results of such unions. From a Christian perspective, government and even church edicts cannot change hearts, only God can.

Huckabee and Colson on the Manhattan Declaration
December 3rd, 2009

Mike Huckabee talks to Chuck Colson about the significance of the Manhattan Declaration, which Huckabee claims could be the equivalent of the 49 Theses posted by Martin Luther, which is an official document composed by a group of Evangelical, Catholic, and Orthodox leaders who are uniting against causes such as abortion, same-sex marriage and their definition [...]

Germany: Rigid Sunday law used against Scientology which is considered “business” by gov’t. (Der Spiegel)
December 3rd, 2009

GERMANY – Scientologists have had a particularly difficult time in Europe where many view them as a nuisance for their recruiting activities.  When they opened a new 43,000 square foot facility near Berlin, the locals complained. However, the city found a loophole based on a 1995 Federal Labor Court ruling that found that Scientology is “neither a religion nor an [...]

Interview with Jeff Sharlet: The Secret Political Reach Of ‘The Family’ (National Public Radio)
November 24th, 2009

The Secret Political Reach Of ‘The Family’ This is FRESH AIR. I’m Terry Gross. The fundamentalist group The Family has operated secretively with the help of influential congressmen and senators who are members of the group to promote their anti-gay, anti-abortion, pro-free-market ideas in America and other parts of the world, but two sex scandals [...]

The Dangerous Idea of Protecting Religions from “Defamation” (USCIRF)
November 22nd, 2009

A Threat to Universal Human Rights Standards November 11, 2009 – WASHINGTON, D.C. – In advance of the upcoming vote on this issue in the UN General Assembly, USCIRF today issued the following Policy Focus explaining the problems with the idea that religions should be  protected from “defamation.”     Executive Summary Over the past decade, [...]

INTERVIEW: John Marcotte, Author of the 2010 California Protection of Marriage Act
November 17th, 2009

Rob Cockerham is the genius behind the website Cockeyed.com, which answers all kinds of questions.  I first became a fan of the site back in 2004 when I was trying to visualize the size of an acre.  Since then, I’ve been amazed at Rob’s “High Profile Sculpture Replacement” experiments, and American Idol Judges costume and groundbreaking [...]

Calif. Initiative Round-up – Outlawing Divorce, Legalizing Pot, and Christmas Music
November 17th, 2009

In California, voters are allowed to promote ballot initiatives on almost any subject, including those that can fundamentally change the state constitution.  Here are some initatives that are currently in circulation as of November 18, 2009.  Only a few will make it to the ballot, but it is interesting to see what changes some want to [...]

US court rules against “I Believe” car license plates (APD)
November 17th, 2009

A US federal judge has ordered South Carolina not to issue cross-adorned ”I believe” car number plates, ruling it violates the constitutional separation of church and state. US District Court judge, Cameron Currie, ruled that the state legislature – which voted unanimously last year to approve the number plates that include a cross in front of a stained glass window – had clearly given favoured government treatment to a single faith, and ordered to halt its issue.

UK – Health and safety snoops to enter family homes (TimesOnline)
November 16th, 2009

EXCERPT from TimesOnline Health and safety inspectors are to be given unprecedented access to family homes to ensure that parents are protecting their children from household accidents. New guidance drawn up at the request of the Department of Health urges councils and other public sector bodies to “collect data” on properties where children are thought [...]

Washington DC – New Turn in Debate Over Law on Marriage (The New York Times)
November 16th, 2009

EXCERPT from New York Times: New Turn in Debate Over Law on Marriage By IAN URBINA Published: November 12, 2009 WASHINGTON — The fight over a proposed same-sex marriage law here heated up this week as the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington said that if the law passed, the church would cut its social service [...]

House Healthcare Vote – A Huge Triumph for the Catholic Church (America Magazine)
November 16th, 2009

EXCERPTS from America Magazine Blog – 11/8/09 The House Vote: A Huge Triumph for the Church Posted at: 2009-11-08 08:02:54.0 Author: Michael Sean Winters It is difficult to over-estimate the degree to which last night’s vote in the House, passing a comprehensive health care reform bill, was a huge victory for the Catholic Church. Yes, [...]

A Church Scorned: Church, State, Marriage, and the Quest for Power
November 11th, 2009

The State and the Church “And so, by the power vested in me by the State of ___  and Almighty God, I now pronounce you husband and wife. What God has joined together, let no man put asunder.” This pronouncement is the point in a religious wedding ceremony where the power of the state and the [...]

Scholarship contest asks high school students to revisit JFK speech on separation of church and state
November 9th, 2009

The Religious Liberty Council of the Baptist Joint Committee on its website announced the 5th annual Religious Liberty Essay Scholarship Contest, which is open to all high school students in the graduating classes of 2010 and 2011. According to the BJC, “this year’s contest will commemorate the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s landmark speech about [...]

Religious freedom requires Baptists to hold in tension certain principles (The Baptist Standard)
November 9th, 2009

EXCERPT: DALLAS—Baptists must hold in tension three sets of paradoxical ideas if they are to remain faithful to their heritage and champion freedom, Brent Walker told participants at the T.B. Maston Christian Ethics Award Dinner Oct. 30 in Dallas. … • The two religion clauses in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. • Religious [...]

PBS Series “Liberty’s Kids” Now on YouTube
November 3rd, 2009

An excellent educational cartoon series for kids (and adults) starring Walter Cronkite as Ben Franklin is now on YouTube. In this episode, Ben Franklin, Moses, and James discover disguised colonists raiding the tea-laden ship that Sarah is aboard. To watch the entire series, go to http://www.youtube.com/user/LibertysKidsTV The official website, which includes activities and information for parents and teachers is located at http://www.libertyskids.com/

HISTORY: Sousa’s Band Under Ban of Sunday Blue Law
November 1st, 2009

Binghamton, N. Y., November 13, 1922—Harold F. Albert, recreational director of the Endicott Johnson Corporation, was arrested yesterday afternoon on complaint of the Binghamton Ministerial Association for staging a concert by John Philip Sousa’s Band at which an admission was charged.

Sec. Clinton condemns “Religious Defamation” laws and addresses international issues in annual Religious Freedom Report
October 27th, 2009

On October 25, 2009, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton presented the annual International Religious Freedom Report, on behalf of the U.S. State Department Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. In the first IRFR from the Obama administration, Clinton stated her opposition to international laws that would propose to protect religious liberty by preventing [...]

OPINION: When Did “Conservative” Become Anarchist?
October 27th, 2009

What planet am I living on? I have grown up with the idea that conservatives were those who value tradition and defendthe status quo ante; who support the institutions of our society. But now it seems that “conservatives” believe that it is wrong for the president of the United States to talk to the nation’s school children despite the fact that Ronald Reagan did so; that it is OK to carry an automatic weapon to a public meeting with elected officials; that un-fact-checked statementscirculated by unknown bloggers and radio entertainers are to be believed over independent newspapers with long histories of factual reporting.

Texas execution looms after jury consult Bible (Amnesty International)
October 21st, 2009

EXCERPT: A Texas man who faces execution after jurors at his trial consulted the Bible when deliberating his fate should have his death sentence commuted, Amnesty International said on Friday. Khristian Oliver, 32, is set to be killed on 5 November after jurors used Biblical passages supporting the death penalty to help them decide whether [...]

What’s Wrong with Conspiracy Theories?
October 19th, 2009

The other day someone sent me a link to an “Antichrist Decoder” that has been posted online by an otherwise reputable Christian ministry. You can type in anybody’s name and the program will calculate the value of the name in Roman numerals.

After checking my name to make sure that I was not the Antichrist I looked at the other names that people had plugged into the decoder and learned that Barack Obama is not the Antichrist, neither is Barack Hussein Obama. Ronald Wilson Reagan’s name doesn’t add up to 666 even if you type in two “v”s to make the W.

People were having fun with the decoder and for the uninitiated it would be at home in a carnival next to the “Love Meter” or “Magic 8 Ball.” Perhaps an “antichrist decoder” made the rounds on the county fair circuit in years gone by, or a 666 Decoder Ring was the cheap plastic treat in the box of Cracker Jacks.

Northwest Religious Liberty Association Honors Oregon Speaker Dave Hunt
October 16th, 2009

Representative Dave Hunt, speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives, was awarded by the Northwest Religious Liberty Association (NRLA) at the Oregon Conference Campmeeting in Gladstone on July 17, 2009 for his legislative sponsorship of the Oregon Workplace Religious Freedom Act, Senate Bill 786 (SB 786) which was signed into law by Governor Ted Kulongoski.  There were [...]

Colbert on Religious Symbol on Government Land
October 15th, 2009

On his October 13, 2009 episode, Stephen Colbert addressed the recent Supreme Court arguments in the case involving the WWI Veterans’ Memorial in the Mojave Desert (Salazar v. Buono). He makes a strong argument that those who are arguing for the cross as a mere symbol in order to preserve it are arguing against its religious significance.

Why America should not be declared a “Christian Nation”
September 24th, 2009

History tells us that it would not be a debate between Christians and atheists. If Christianity won predominance over every other religious system in the nation, it would be a debate between Baptists, Episcopalians, Methodists, Lutherans, Catholics, Seventh-day Adventists, Pentacostals, and any other denomination you could name. Then it would be between the liberals and conservatives, and ultimately between conservatives or between liberals, the powerful – not the faithful – would control.

Faith in Context: President Obama & Faith-based Initiatives
September 12th, 2009

As he said he would during the campaign last year, President Obama has retained the “faith-based initiatives” emphasis at the White House, but restructured the organization that he inherited from President Bush. The new unit consists of two parts, where Bush’s White House had only one: An Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and a President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. The council is make its final recommendations in February next year (2010), so it appears that further changes may yet surface. At the same time it is clear that Obama is committed to some kind of working relationship with the nonprofit sector, including the large part of it that is related to religious constituencies.

Chris Seiple: Religious Freedom: The Ultimate Counterterrorism Weapon?
September 4th, 2009

While the U.S. can summon hard power with relative ease, employing soft power is more difficult. Indeed, smart power suggests that hard and soft power are two sides of the same coin, that our interests are protected when our values are promoted. If Americans want to engage the world with efficient and enduring effect, we must better understand the essence of American power and the foundation of the global public square: religious freedom.

Pope Benedict XVI on Religious Freedom (CNA)
September 3rd, 2009

A short Catholic News Agency overview of international religious persecution and the importance of preserving religious freedom.

Jehovah’s Witnesses Undergo Persecution in the former Soviet Union
September 3rd, 2009

Since their formation in the late 19th century, Jehovah’s Witnesses have suffered relentless persecution worldwide for their controversial religious beliefs. Archibald Cox, Jr., famous for his role as the Watergate prosecutor that helped force the resignation of former U.S. President Richard Nixon, once noted that Jehovah’s Witnesses were “the principal victims of religious persecution … in the twentieth century.” Persecution against Witnesses was especially strong during WWII when their political neutrality, conscientious objection to war, and refusal to salute any nation’s flag made them the target of governments and citizen mob groups alike. Except for the Jews, they were proportionally the most persecuted group in Nazi Germany; they were banned during the war in countries like Russia and Spain, and sometimes beaten and jailed in places like Britain, Canada, Cuba, and the United States. The ACLU reported that by 1940 in the United States alone, “more than 1,500 Witnesses . . . had been victimized in 335 separate attacks.”

3 states still ban religious clothing for teachers (Associated Press)
September 2nd, 2009

EXCERPT: PORTLAND, Ore. — A law backed by the Ku Klux Klan nearly a century ago to keep Catholics out of public schools is still on the books in Oregon, one of the last states in the nation to prohibit teachers from wearing religious clothing in classrooms. Both Pennsylvania and Nebraska have similar laws, which [...]

Civil Rights Pioneer E.E. Cleveland talks about meeting Martin Luther King, Jr.
September 1st, 2009

On August 30, 2009, renowned evangelist Edward Earl Cleveland died at Huntsville Hospital in Huntsville, Alabama. He was 88.  Cleveland worked for more than 60 years as a Seventh-day Adventist pastor, evangelist, church leader, teacher, and civil rights leader. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. attended one of Cleveland’s tent meetings in 1954 in Montgomery and [...]

Religion in Public Schools: Academic, Not Devotional (J. Brent Walker – Washington Post)
September 1st, 2009

EXCERPT: The Texas Board of Education, the nation’s second largest purchaser of public school textbooks, is revising its K-12 social studies curriculum and deciding how to characterize religion’s influence on American history. Three consultants have recommended emphasizing the roles of the Bible, Christianity and civic virtue of religion. As America’s children go back to school, [...]

Adventist Golfer put his faith ahead of on-course success (Tulsa World)
August 28th, 2009

 EXCERPT: A FIELD OF 312 golfers will tee off Monday in the U.S. Amateur at Southern Hills and Cedar Ridge. One of them — 24-year-old Louie Bishop of Murrieta, Calif. — knows he has zero chance of advancing to Sunday’s finals and, yes, he’s at peace with that. Bishop is a Seventh-day Adventist. He doesn’t [...]

Religious-freedom groups mourn Kennedy, cite church-state views (ABP)
August 28th, 2009

EXCERPT: . . . The late senator “was a great champion of church-state separation,” said Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, in a preparedstatement. “It’s not just that he consistently voted to support that principle — he really got it. He deeply understood that only a high and [...]

Bill would give president emergency control of Internet (CNET)
August 28th, 2009

  EXCERPT:    Internet companies and civil liberties groups were alarmed this spring when a U.S. Senate bill proposed handing the White House the power to disconnect private-sector computers from the Internet.     They’re not much happier about a revised version that aides to Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, have spent months drafting behind closed doors. [...]

‘We have so many uncanonised martyrs’ – Christians in Pakistan are living in daily fear of violence from extremists (Catholic Herald)
August 21st, 2009

Sister Janet Fearns, communications coordinator of Missio writes about the extent of religious persecution in Pakistan.  A link to the full article follows this excerpt: ‘I am sorry I could not speak to you then because we were just about to begin the funeral service for Irfan, an 11-year-old boy who was shot in the head [...]

Charles Colson on media indifference to international religious freedom
August 21st, 2009

Charles Colson recently wrote an interesting editorial on the media’s non-response to religious freedom issues in India.  Here is an excerpt followed by a link to the full article: In 1998, Congress created the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. Its mandate was to “monitor the status of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion [...]

Open Forum: What does religious freedom mean to you?
August 16th, 2009

Here is how some members of our Facebook community responded to the question, “What does religious freedom mean to you?” William Brooks: I once heard a pastor speak on religious liberty and its meaning, and since then, I have claim this meaning for myself.”Religious liberty means, I am free worship as I please, or to go fishing.” To [...]

Tennesee governor signs Religious Freedom Restoration Act into law
August 16th, 2009

  On July 1, 2009, Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act into law.  Introduced in February, House Bill 1598 requires Tennessee courts to apply the “compelling state interest” test to cases in which a law substantially burdens one’s right of free exercise of religion. The state now has the burden of [...]

Arthur Caplan – The Bioethics of Engineering Children
August 9th, 2009

First religious liberty festival in Jerusalem draws hundreds (ANN)
August 9th, 2009

Source: Adventist News Network   Hundreds of religious liberty proponents from Israel and the Palestinian Territories gathered in Jerusalem Sunday for the symbolic city’s first festival of religious freedom. The event generated a “climate of good understanding” among attendees that organizers hope will spur increased tolerance in the region, said John Graz, secretary-general for the [...]

Baptists Mark 400th Anniversary, Celebrate Religious Freedom (BeliefNet)
August 9th, 2009

EXCERPT:  UTRECHT, Netherlands — (RNS/ENI) Four hundred years after the first Baptist congregation was established, followers have been challenged to continue championing religious liberty. “We as Baptists must continue to defend religious freedom for all peoples and all religions,” said Denton Lotz, the former general secretary of the Baptist World Alliance, at a special service [...]

When work and religion collide
July 21st, 2009

Because religious beliefs are protected and there is a more diverse workforce, religious accommodation issues have increased. This article was written by originally published in the July 19, 2009 Zanesville TimesRecorder and is reprinted here with the permission of the author. By Jim Evans This is not your father’s workplace. A snapshot of today’s workforce looks dramatically [...]

Governor signs Oregon Workplace Religious Freedom Act
July 21st, 2009

Northwest Religious Liberty Association Press Release – July 21, 2009 The Stage Was Set On a sweltering Friday summer evening, and just two minutes prior to going on stage before approximately 2,000 Seventh-day Adventist Christians at the Gladstone, Oregon Campmeeting, the Honorable Representative Dave Hunt (D), Speaker of the House of Representatives for the Oregon Legislature, [...]

Justice Department Files Religious Discrimination Lawsuit Against Essex County, New Jersey (DOJ Release)
July 19th, 2009

The Department filed a lawsuit today against Essex County, N.J., alleging that it discriminated against a Muslim corrections officer on the basis of her religion in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The suit alleges that the county refused to permit Yvette Beshier to wear a religiously mandated headscarf while working as a corrections officer.

SB 786: Workplace Religious Freedom Act
July 17th, 2009

Speaker Dave Hunt delivers a floor speech on the Oregon Workplace Religious Freedom Act.

Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski signs the Workplace Religious Freedom Act
July 17th, 2009

Breaking News:  We have received word that Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski has signed the Oregon Workplace Religious Freedom Act (SB 786). SB 786 requires employers to make credible attempts to accommodate religious holy day observance and religious dress. Prior to SB 786, employers in Oregon could make only the bare minimum effort to meet accommodation [...]

Oregon law is too strict on teachers’ religious garb (Oregonian)
July 17th, 2009

EXCERPT: In nearly every state in the union, local school districts have the discretion to say whether teachers can wear religious garb such as yarmulkes, turbans and head scarves while on the job. Not around these parts. Oregon is one of only two states with laws that expressly forbid public school teachers from wearing religious [...]

Law Professor Alan Brownstein on California marriage debate (Liberty Magazine)
July 15th, 2009

Religious liberty and equality is predicated on the right to be different. Its underlying principle is that we do not have to accept the truth or value of someone else’s religious beliefs in order to agree that those beliefs and practices deserve protection against discriminatory treatment.

Shabbat in Commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King
July 10th, 2009

Sixth & I Historic Synagogue and Turner Memorial A.M.E. Church present the fifth annual Shabbat in commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, celebrating their legacy of social justice and equality.

July 2009 News and Opinion – The Economy, Marriage, and More
July 3rd, 2009

July 2009 News and Opinion – The Economy, Marriage, and More Posted using ShareThis

Bronwyn Winter: Uncovering the French Headscarf Debate
July 3rd, 2009

The hijab is arguably the most discussed and controversial item of women’s clothing today. It has become the primary global symbol of female Muslim identity for Muslims and non-Muslims alike, and is the focus of much debate in the confrontation between Islam and the West. Nowhere has this debate been more acute or complex than [...]

Rodney Baker: Demonisation and Witch Hunts in Religion and Politics
July 3rd, 2009

Rodney Barker discusses the origins, character and life of political and religious witch hunts, as well as the relation between what people say, what they believe and what they do. Professor Rodney Barkers’ research interests lie in the areas of political thinking in modern Britain and the legitimation of governments, subjects and rebels. He also [...]

Jerusalem: The Pope in Search of Christians (LinkTV)
June 28th, 2009

(Mosaic Intelligence Report: May 15, 2009) Pope Benedict XVI prays for peace in the Holy Land but his trip is mired with controversy. Why are Muslims and Jews upset with the Holy See? And what does the future hold for Palestinian Christians living in Jerusalem? Additional discussion at the Huffington Post.

Religion, Politics, and the 2008 Election
June 25th, 2009

The Wolfson Center for National Affairs at The New School presents a conversation with Wilfred McClay, senior fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center at the University of Tennessee and co-author of Religion Returns to the Public Square, and Jacques Berlinerblau, with the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and author ofThe Secular Bible: [...]

Mormonism & American Politics: Noah Feldman
June 10th, 2009

Keynote address by Noah Feldman at the Mormonism & American Politics conference entitled Persecution and the Art of Secrecy: An Interpretation of the Mormon Encounter with American Politics.

Economics: Lawrence W. Reed on the Seven Principles of Sound Public Policy
June 9th, 2009

  Lawrence W. Reed is president emeritus of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a Midland-based research and educational institute on September 1, 2008. The Center’s mission is to equip Michigan citizens and other decision-makers to better evaluate Michigan public policy options and to do so from a “free market” perspective.  For a PDF version [...]

Russian President may push ‘new world currency’…
June 9th, 2009

EXCERPT FROM BLOOMBERG.COM Russian President Dmitry Medvedev may discuss his proposal to create a new world currency when he meets counterparts from Brazil, India and China this month, Natalya Timakova, a spokeswoman for the president, told reporters by phone today. Russia’s proposals for the Group of 20 meeting in London in April included studying a [...]

Reza Aslan: The Future of Religious Nationalism
June 3rd, 2009

At a time when religion and politics are increasingly sharing the same vocabulary and functioning in the same sphere, Aslan writes that we must strip this ideological conflict of its religious connotations and address the actual grievances that fuel the Jihadist movement.

1967 U.S. Supreme Court Decision sheds light on California marriage debate
June 1st, 2009

There is presently much debate about gay marriage in California, and the roots for the argument come from several directions. In 1967 the United States Supreme Court addressed the issue of whether marriage was a fundamental right. Granted it had to do with people of the opposite sex, but the arguments for the State of Virginia which forbade interracial marriage were primarily religious in nature.

When you think about it, 1967 was not very long ago. If you are older than 42, if your parents were from sixteen states, including Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, Delaware, South Carolina, Georgia, or Florida, and were from different races their marriages would have been illegal. In California, interracial marriage was illegal until 1948.

Doug Kmiec on a Court Packed with Catholics (Wall Street Journal)
June 1st, 2009

If Judge Sonia Sotomayor is confirmed by the United States Senate, she will be the 6th Catholic among the 9 United States Supreme Court justices. Doug Kmiec, my constitutional law professor in the area of the Bill of Rights at Pepperdine University, discusses what this will mean in a recent interview with Suzanne Sataline of [...]

Oregon House of Representatives passes Workplace Religious Freedom Act
June 1st, 2009

SB 786 has passed both houses of the legislature and is now on the Governor’s Desk.

The dangers of relinquishing liberty for a quiet and “safe” life
May 29th, 2009

In recent months, it has become increasingly clear that religious freedom, or any individual liberties for that matter, are best respected in lands where private property and financial resources are respected by the state.  Mark Steyn explores the themes of private property and financial responsibility in this speech describing the dangers other nations are facing when [...]

Supreme Court nominee Sotomayor’s rulings on religious issues
May 26th, 2009

University of Toledo law professor Howard M. Friedman has compiled a list of Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s rulings on religion clause issues at his blog, Religion Clause. Sotomayor has served on the Second Circuit since 1998. She served as a federal district court judge in the Southern District of New York from 1992 to 1998.

On the Table
May 20th, 2009

 A collection of the latest news and opinions.   VIRGINIA: Laid-off religious workers denied jobless benefits Under Virginia law, as in many states, tax exemptions for religious organizations include freedom from paying unemployment taxes, though the IRS requires they pay Social Security and withholding taxes.  For workers who are left jobless, unemployment benefits are a [...]

China and Brazil Plan to Dump Dollar (FT)
May 19th, 2009

This news will have significant repercussions for the United States economy.  Editor Brazil and China will work towards using their own currencies in trade transactions rather than the US dollar, according to Brazil’s central bank and aides to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s president. The move follows recent Chinese challenges to the status of the [...]

US Commission on International Religious Freedom Issues 2009 Report – 13 Nations of concern
May 12th, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Friday, May 1, announced its 2009 recommendations to Congress, the White House and the State Department that 13 nations–Burma, China, North Korea, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam–be named “countries of particular concern,” or CPCs.  USCIRF is a [...]

TURKMENISTAN: Old “offences” still used to punish current religious activity (Forum 18)
May 12th, 2009

EXCERPT: By Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service Former prisoner of conscience Shageldy Atakov, is the latest victim of Turkmenistan’s use of old “offences” to punish current activity, Forum 18 News Service has learnt. Officials under orders from the central authorities are now threatening to confiscate Atakov’s property, if he does not pay an enormous [...]

Around the globe, religious freedom under assault (Read it News)
May 12th, 2009

EXCERPT: At a time when religious persecution is at the heart of the world’s most violent conflicts, religious freedom matters. That’s why the 2009 report from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom should be required reading for policymakers in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere. Released on May 1, the report documents in chilling detail the [...]

Pope urges religious reconciliation (Al Jazeera)
May 12th, 2009

Excerpt: Pope Benedict XVI has called on followers of the three major monotheistic religions to put their differences behind them and work towards reconciliation. … “Jews, Muslims and Christians alike call this city their spiritual home… Thereshould be no place within these walls for narrowness, discrimination, violence and injustice,” Benedict said. “Believers in a God [...]

North Korea Freedom Week – CBN.com
May 8th, 2009

North Korea has long been recognized as one of the world’s worst abusers of religious freedom. This week in Washington, D.C., North Korean defectors and human rights activists came together to bring attention to the situation… From The Christian Broadcasting Network CBN

Oregon Senate Passes Workplace Religious Freedom Act
May 7th, 2009

WORKPLACE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM PASSES OREGON STATE SENATE! Tuesday,  May 5, 2009 at the Oregon Legislature, with the leadership of Senator David Nelson (R-Pendleton District) and the bipartisan support of Republicans and Democrats, we finally realized the fruits of our labor in the Senate passage of our Oregon Workplace Religious Freedom Act, SB 786-A (see attached). The [...]

Preliminary Analysis: Congress Passes Hate Crime Legislation
May 1st, 2009

With the news this week that the United States House of Representatives has passed, H.R. 1913, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009, there is some concern about what this will mean for individuals or churches that express their religious beliefs regarding sexual orientation.  I discussed the 2007 version of this bill in [...]

ANALYSIS: European Sunday Weekly Rest Day Legislation Remains Unlawful
April 29th, 2009

The main purpose for writing this article is to respond to the relentless attempts in recent times to legislate in the European Union, Sunday as an official weekly rest day. The lobbyists championing this cause have been among other associations, the Roman Catholic Bishops (COMECE), some Protestants church representatives and certain Members of the European Parliament (MEPs).[1] I will now provide a synopsis of the background on this issue and show how it has developed to the present day.

Interview: Scott Ritsema talks about his new book “The Way, the Truth and the Sword”
April 24th, 2009

Scott Ritsema tackles the current controversy surrounding issues of faith and political power in his new book, The Way, the Truth and the Sword: A New Christian Civics in an Age of Coercive Power. I recently caught up with him to discuss the book, which is available online at http://www.lulu.com/content/3160866 RLTV: Your book has a fascinating [...]

Richard Land and Jim Wallis: Faith and Politics
April 13th, 2009

Moderated by Krista Tippett, host of American Public Media’s Speaking of Faith, this panel of conservative evangelical Dr. Richard Land and liberal evangelical Jim Wallis separates faith from any one party and defines a broad faith-oriented agenda – University of Minnesota

Oregon Senate Judiciary Committee hears testimony on the Oregon Workplace Religious Freedom Act
April 13th, 2009

SALEM, OREGON -  On April 9, 2009, the Oregon Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony on the Oregon Workplace Religious Freedom Act (SB 786).  House Speaker Dave Hunt, Bureau of Labor and Industry director Brad Avakian, and Senator David Nelson led the testimony in favor of the bill followed by Northwest Religious Liberty Association president Gregory [...]

Canada: Fundraisers planned for Alberta pastor punished for expressing beliefs
April 7th, 2009

You may recall that Pastor Stephen Boissoin got himself in hot water with the Alberta Human Rights Commission when he wrote a letter to the editor of the Red Deer Advocate that was critical of the “homosexual agenda.”  The community newspaper published the letter and the pastor was promptly sued.  Limits on free speech can [...]

Alan Greenspan: Gold and Economic Freedom (1966)
April 5th, 2009

[Given the recent state of the economy, it is important to explore whether there is a strong correlation between religious freedom and economic freedom, or individual property rights and the interest of the state. The following was published in Ayn Rand's "Objectivist" newsletter in 1966, and reprinted in her book, Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal, in 1967.  Regardless [...]

London Telegraph Describes G20 Plan For Bank Of The World, Global Currency
April 3rd, 2009

EXCERPT: A single clause in Point 19 of the communiqué issued by the G20 leaders amounts to revolution in the global financial order. “We have agreed to support a general SDR allocation which will inject $250bn (£170bn) into the world economy and increase global liquidity,” it said. SDRs are Special Drawing Rights, a synthetic paper [...]

UN Human Rights Council approves proposal for limits on religious speech
March 29th, 2009

Last week 23 of the 47-member United Nations Human Rights Council approved a resolution urging member states to provide ”protection against acts of hatred, discrimination, intimidation and coercion resulting from defamation of religions and incitement to religious hatred in general.” The act, primarily promoted by Muslim nations, is designed to shield religion, primarily Islam, from criticism in the [...]

EXCERPTS: Douglas Laycock on dangers of protecting liberty ‘only for ourselves’ (Baptist Joint Committee)
March 26th, 2009

From: http://bjconline.org/news/news/0209laycock.htm Douglas Laycock is the Yale Kamisar Collegiate Professor of Law at the University of Michigan Law School. He is one of the nation’s leading authorities on religious liberty law. He made these remarks on January 15 in accepting the National First Freedom Award from the Richmond, Va.,-based First Freedom Center. EXCERPTS: If I [...]

Documentary: The End of America by Naomi Wolf
March 24th, 2009

In a stunning indictment of sweeping policy changes during the Bush years, best-selling author Naomi Wolf (The Beauty Myth) makes a chilling case that American democracy is under threat. Investigating parallels between our current situation and the rise of dictators and fascism in once-free societies, Wolf uncovers a number of deeply unsettling similarities-from the use [...]

Obama puts believers and non-believers on the same footing in speeches (WSJ)
March 23rd, 2009

The Wall Street Journal has published an interesting take on Barack Obama by Laura Meckler.  Obama has managed to be even more religious than George W. Bush in his speech, but also reaches out equally to non-believers.   Meckler’s  article discusses whether Obama can reach out to one end of the spectrum without alienating the [...]

Benedict XVI to release encyclical outlining moral and social issues behind economic crisis
March 23rd, 2009

In a BBC News article dated March 12, 2009, the author indicates that Pope Benedict XVI is slated to release a new encyclical that discusses the moral and social issues behind the global economic crisis. Apparently it is proving quite a challenge to write. Benedict XVI “says it is proving more difficult to write than [...]

World Trends in Religious Freedom – Hudson Institute
March 22nd, 2009

Dayton Tennessee Christian School Sued by U.S. Department of Labor (ASINet)
March 17th, 2009

Last year an injunction was brought against the Laurelbrook School by the US Department of Labor. It alleged that Laurelbrook’s vocational program was in violation of juvenile labor laws. The trial, currently in recess, is scheduled to resume on March 30.

Raw Majority Power: Why Checks and Balances Matter
March 17th, 2009

An epic battle played out on two levels at the California Supreme Court on March 5. On a surface level, attorneys fought over a technical issue of whether the Proposition 8 prohibition on gay marriage represented a revision or an amendment. On the deeper level, the question asked was whether there are any limits on the majority to impact the rights of the minority.

CLASSIC: The Proper Relation of Church and State
March 10th, 2009

Originally published in Liberty in 1921 – “Why should we Christians desire that the non-Christian be required by law to observe our religious institutions? Why should we ask that the state punish offenders against our church institutions, when God has withheld such authority from the church?”

PRECEDENT – A century ago religious groups tried to change the California Constitution to enact a religious law
March 7th, 2009

J.O. Corliss – Liberty Magazine – 1908 – “California is the only State in the American Union without a Sunday law. From 1858 to 1883 a Sunday-rest statute in that State was made so annoying to many of its citizens that it became an object of political contention. The supposed dominant party, through church affiliations, inserted a plank in its platform, pledging itself to maintain the Sunday law for the betterment of the laboring class. The other party went to the polls, on a pledge to repeal the existing statute requiring Sunday rest, on the ground of its hostility to religious rights.”

The result was a political upheaval in favor of repealing all Sunday laws in the State of California. About the same time the State supreme court handed down a decision in the case of ex parte Newman, declaring a Sunday law unconstitutional. Since then three attempts have been made by the churches to have the legislature re-enact a Sunday-law statute. These advances have been coldly met, on the ground that any such statute could have no force in the face of the constitutional limitation.

AUDIO: Karen Scott – “Rethinking the Premise of Religious Liberty”
March 7th, 2009

Each year, the Walla Walla University Church in College Place, Washington celebrates religious liberty. On February 28, 2009, Karen Scott delivered an address entitled, “Rethinking the Premise of Religious Liberty.”

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Obama makes plans to remove ‘conscience clause’ for health-care workers
March 6th, 2009

The Catholic Culture blog has posted a link to a set of articles about Obama’s plans to rescind the “conscience clause” that protects health-care personnel from pressure to participate in procedures they regard as immoral, such as abortion.

VIDEO: California Supreme Court Oral Arguments on Prop 8
March 5th, 2009

Watch the March 5, 2009 proceedings and read the briefs on both sides of this contentious issue.

Senator – Conservative and Christian broadcasters could still be threatened by proposed broadcast regulations (KIITV)
March 5th, 2009

In a floor speech, Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe noted that while the Senate voted last week against reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine, it approved another amendment saying federal regulators should promote diversity in media ownership and ensure that broadcasters operate in the public interest.

Religious Persecution on the Horn of Africa (American Spectator)
March 4th, 2009

Somalia continues to implode, as Islamists gain increasing control over what remains of the impoverished, conflict-ridden nation. But it is not the only human tragedy in the region. Eritrea, which won its independence from Ethiopia in 1993 after decades of war, has earned a reputation as one of the world’s youngest tyrannies. It also is one of the world’s worst religious persecutors.

Emotion, misunderstanding mark religion-in-school cases (The Tennessean)
March 4th, 2009

Most people have a mistaken understanding of what the First Amendment means, says Charles Haynes, a senior scholar at the First Amendment Center.

“People tend to carry around two failed models in their head,” Haynes said. “Either we keep religion entirely out of public schools or we keep on doing what we used to do in the good old days and promote religion in school.”

Because of those failed models, schools end up making poor decisions when it comes to religion.

In wake of Supreme Court decision, ‘clear defense needed of church-state wall’ (Des Moines Register)
February 27th, 2009

Considering the U.S. Supreme Court’s contentious struggles over free speech and religion, it was a surprise to say the least to see Wednesday’s ruling unanimously endorsing a government installation of the Ten Commandments in a city park.

While this ruling will likely have limited impact, it raises troubling questions about how dedicated this court – particularly the younger justices, who will be shaping it for decades to come – will be to maintaining the proverbial wall separating church and state.

Soros sees no bottom for world financial “collapse” (Reuters)
February 22nd, 2009

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Renowned investor George Soros said on Friday the world financial system has effectively disintegrated, adding that there is yet no prospect of a near-term resolution to the crisis. Soros said the turbulence is actually more severe than during the Great Depression, comparing the current situation to the demise of the Soviet Union.

Reflection: The Trouble with the Future
February 22nd, 2009

In the context of the tenth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, one journalist took the time to look back and see what the pundits said would happen next. No one, but no one, got it right. No one foresaw the rapid collapse of European communism and the demise of the Soviet Union. By 1991 The U.S.S.R. was no more, and no one saw this future with any degree of precision. Instead they got it wrong. The end of communism will be a long time coming. Wrong. If the Warsaw pact goes, so does NATO. Wrong. Germany will not be allowed to re-unite. Wrong. A united Germany will become a nuclear power before the end of the millennium. Wrong. Gorbachev will long continue. Wrong.